The five returned to the BayArena on Sunday morning to complete the performance tests in the Werkstatt that the rest of the squad put behind them on Thursday. "It was good! Everything went perfectly for me," said Kai Havertz. "You keep fit on holiday to make sure you pass the tests." But in the first two weeks after the international fixtures it was a question of putting his feet up – "switching off and doing nothing is also important. But then I started my individual training programme that they gave us to use at home," explained the 20-year-old.
The returnees first completed an individual warm-up routine in the training session before moving on to passing and shooting drills and finally joining the rest of the squad for a practice match. Havertz had a positive impression of the three new signings Kerem Demirbay, Moussa Diaby and Daley Sinkgraven: "We've done very well strengthening the squad and we'll definitely have fun with these players."
At the start of the week, Peter Bosz had 20 pros plus the two U19 players Adrian Stanilewicz and Marcel Lotka at his disposal. Jonathan Tah, Charles Aránguiz and Leon Bailey will join the rest of the squad at the training camp in Zell am See-Kaprun (15 to 21 July). Julian Baumgartlinger is still sidelined. The Austrian injured an ankle in the international break and is currently working on a one-to-one basis in rehab with a physiotherapist in Munich. Baumgartlinger is expected to return to Leverkusen on Wednesday.
A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
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Once the final whistle was blown, it was time to take a deep breath. 2-0 down and a 5–2 win in the end. It was a nerve-wracking affair against FC Nürnberg in the second round of the 2026–27 DFB Pokal. Jonas Hofmann said – “We didn’t let our heads drop” – hitting the nail on the head. Indeed, it was clear the Werkself were not prepared to accept elimination from the DFB Pokal. So they went on to score. The Black and Reds made their presence felt with a goal just before half-time, followed by four more in the second half. Or, to put it another way: Edmond Tapsoba’s first Bayer 04 brace, a clinical penalty from Patrik Schick, yet another precision strike from Hofmann and a blistering volley from Lucas Vázquez. Each goal more beautiful than the last! After the match, head coach Carles Martínez praised his team’s commitment above all else and the fact that they never lost belief in themselves. The Werkself review.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 5-2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
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Bayer 04 came from 2-0 down to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Wednesday night. Edmond Tapsoba’s double either side of half-time sparked the turnaround, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez ensured progress to the last 16 for the 2024 cup winners.
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