Heiko Herrlich said it was a “neck and neck” race between Ramazan Özcan and Thorsten Kirschbaum to be in the starting eleven for the opening match of the season. in the end, the head coach opted for the more experienced Austrian who has already played 173 competitive matches in the top two divisions in Germany. “Rambo will play from the start.”
It remains to be seen whether the same will apply to Leon Bailey. The Jamaican did take part as planned in full training today (Tuesday, 14 August). In addition to Bailey, Karim Bellarabi returned just two weeks after suffering a knee injury at the summer training camp. However, Herrlich is very keen to treat the number 38 with kid gloves. “We shouldn’t take the third step before the second. Karim had less problems turning than we thought today.” Herrlich did not reveal whether there was enough progress for a place in the side at Pforzheim.
The Cup tie definitely comes too soon for Charles Aránguiz who is at the moment making good progress in terms of returning to full training. As part of the follow-up, the medical section carried out an MRI scan that confirmed the findings of an ultrasound examination. The Chilean has a problem around his Achilles, which originates from issues with his patella tendon.
According to Herrlich, Aránguiz has recently worked very well with fitness coach Daniel Jouvin but the boss is keen to downplay expectations from the fans. There will have to be day-to-day progress before our number 20 joins his team-mates on the training ground.
While the first team worked hard on the training ground on Tuesday morning and afternoon, there was a lot going on in the mixed zone and the underground car park. This evening, the club has invited its sponsors to the annual season launch event. This year there are a lot of club anniversaries to celebrate. Against the background of 40 years in the Bundesliga, 30 years since winning the UEFA Cup and 25 years since lifting the DFB Cup, the guests plus the team and coaching staff will immerse themselves in the history of Bayer 04.
Today, Tuesday 16 December (live on B04eSports Twitch channel from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports players face the final three matches of the online preliminary round of Showdown Three in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. In addition to 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 and SV 07 Elversberg, they will play Fortuna Düsseldorf, who are still unbeaten in this third showdown. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Whether it's the Lions Club, Teens, Bayer 04 Club or Silver Lions - there was a lot going on again this year in all age-specific members' clubs. We look back on an eventful year with numerous events and many exclusive moments with the Werkself. We take a look at what the year 2025 had to offer for the members of the Bayer 04 Club...
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Bayer 04 picked up three points in the last home game of the year with 2-0 win against 1. FC Köln on matchday 14. After a dominant first half with good chances, Martin Terrier, who came on as a substitute in the second half, produced a brilliant scorpion kick to make to 1-0 for the Werkself (66') before captain Robert Andrich rounded off the derby victory with a header six minutes later.
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Bayer 04 host 1. FC Köln at the BayArena in the final home game of 2025 . Today’s match on Saturday, 13 December kicks off at 18:30.30 pm. The Werkself are looking for three points against 1. FC Köln, who are without a win in four games but they do have a shooting star in their ranks up front. The Bayer 04 Volunteering Award will be presented at the derby against the club from Cologne and another fan club will be honoured for many years of loyalty under the Cross. The matchday news.
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