For head coach Roger Schmidt it’s a trip down memory lane. He played for Verl from 1995 to 2002, was the team captain scoring 54 goals in 205 games and later he went on to coach the the side. Schmidt started his coaching career at Delbrück in 2004 and he led DSC into the DFB Cup. There will certainly be a party atmosphere in Verl on Friday night as the fixture is the opening match at the club’s new home with a capacity of 5,000.
And the Werkself certainly provide attractive opposition for the occasion as Champions League participants with Roger Schmidt returning to his roots. “This match against Bayer 04 is a great honour to us. We’re still in contact with Roger Schmidt and we’re looking forward to the game,” said Verl’s coach Andreas Golombek who ended last season with his team in tenth place in the Regional League West.
The Friday morning training session at the BayArena and lunch will be followed by the Werkself heading to Eastern Westphalia where the team will be based at the Hotel Klosterpforte in Marienfeld. The squad have three training sessions there on Saturday and Sunday morning and after the match at Delbrück in the afternoon it’s back to Leverkusen.
Cup tie against Hauenstein on a Sunday
The first competitive match for the Werkself in the 2016/17 campaign has been confirmed: Bayer 04 play the First Round DFB tie in Pirmasens against SC Hauenstein on Sunday 21 August at 15.30 CET.
Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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In the final international break in the current 2025/26 campaign, Bayer 04 striker Patrik Schick with Czechia will be battling for a place at the World Cup. Meanwhile, national teams that have already qualified, include other Werkself players called up, are involved in friendlies in the build-up to the World Cup. Read on for an overview of the Leverkusen internationals and their match dates.
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The Werkself kicked off the final international break of the current season on Monday morning with the first of three open training sessions this week. While eleven Bayer 04 players will be away on international duty in the coming days, the other players will be working together in Leverkusen. The next challenge in the Bundesliga awaits on Saturday, 4 April (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) with the home game against VfL Wolfsburg.
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