"We wanted to come back again anyway this year. We just really like it here," declared Michael Varutti, standing with many other fans at the training ground at the Alois Latini Stadium wearing his new Bayer 04 home shirt. The Leverkusen-born fan and decades long season cardholder used the nine Euro ticket for the journey, which can be bought in Germany in June, July and August for nine euros per month: "Of course, that affected our decision."
As this special offer can only be used on regional trains, the couple from Leverkusen-Wiesdorf decided to turn the journey to the training camp into an expedition. So, they planned a route from their hometown of Leverkusen in the direction of Zell am See with stops at some of their favourite places in Germany and Austria.
The 57-year-old and his two-years older wife Doro set off three days before the Bayer 04 players and staff. The final destination on the first day was Boppard. The small town in the Rhineland Palatinate with a population of 15,000 is south of Koblenz on the banks of the Rhine. "A nice little town that I know from my bike tours to Mainz," explains Michael Varutti who regularly travels to Werkself away games in Mainz and Mönchengladbach on his bike.
The couple covered a longer stretch on day two but had to make three changes on the way from Boppard to Munich: in Frankfurt, Würzburg and Nuremberg. "All the trains were very full," said Michael Varutti. But that did not bother the Leverkuseners: "We were lucky we got on at the start each time so we always had a seat." In Munich, they went sightseeing on foot in the afternoon and finally recharged their batteries for travel day number three in the direction of the Austrian border.
The third overnight stop came a few kilometres away from Austria. In Freilassing, a small town north-west of Salzburg, the Varuttis stayed at one of their favourite hotels and enjoyed the rest of the day in their favourite beer garden. They spent two nights there, going on a sightseeing tour of Salzburg and just enjoying the alpine panorama.
Friday morning, on travel day five, the destination was finally Zell am See. For the last stage in Austria, the couple made use of an inexpensive 'Einfach-Raus-Ticket'. The first activity in Zell am See: watching the Bayer 04 training session. With the view of the pitch right next to Zeller See, Michael Varutti said: "It's just beautiful here again and again!"
Michael Varutti had previously travelled to the Werkself training camp in 2018 and 2019. On his first visit, he was joined by his now 20-year-old son Henrik, also a big Bayer 04 Fan, on the journey to Zell am See using the FlixBus. A year later, Michael Varutti accompanied the Werkself fan liaison officer Frank Linde by car.
He wants to come back again next year. First there is another holiday planned for the autumn – and Varutti appears to have the first ideas of a itinerary in his head: "Let's see where Bayer play in the Champions League…"
After a run of seven games unbeaten in all competitions, the Werkself suffered a 1-0 defeat at FC Union Berlin despite their best efforts. Captain Robert Andrich, who took responsibility for the goal, said after the match: "Now we have to focus on not losing our heads even in difficult situations. That has always made us strong in the past." The Werkself review.
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Bayer 04 were beaten 1-0 away at Union Berlin on Matchday 23 in the Bundesliga. Kasper Hjulmand’s side struggled to create clear chances, while the hosts struck the only goal of the game through Rani Khedira in the 28th minute.
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Sandwiched between their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off tie against Olympiacos, Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action on Saturday with a trip to Union Berlin (kick-off: 15:30 CET). It’s a fixture of contrasting styles, with Leverkusen preferring to control the play while Union look to remain compact and counter. The Berliners are therefore suited to facing top teams, but they have only ever managed to win one of 16 meetings with the Werkself, who are looking for a fifth clean sheet of 2026 but will need to beware the home side’s threat from set pieces. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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After six wins in seven games, the Werkself will be looking to continue their winning run in the capital at FC Union Berlin. Coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke ahead of the match on Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET) about defenders, the short preparation time and the condition of the pitch at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
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