
Jonathan Tah also returned on Monday. The 21-year-old, who missed the U21 European Championships due to a groin injury, ended his holidays on Monday. Jonathan started with medical tests before moving on to exercises in the gym. It remains to be seen when the central defender will rejoin his team-mates. Admir Mehmedi and Lars Bender also trained on their own on Monday on their way back from muscle problems.
Sven Bender faces the press
It was the second session with the squad for Lars' twin brother Sven. The new signing from Borussia Dortmund was again on the pitch as he was on Saturday. Before that he faced the press. The 28-year-old again commented on his move: "It was important to me to get back on the pitch. I saw the opportunities being better at Bayer 04 than at BVB." Since his first discussions with the club management, he felt "he was wanted here." He went on to explain: "With my experience and the way I play I can definitely help the club. I want to lead the team. And I'm confident I can do that."
He was also happy to be reunited with his brother who he used to play alongside at TSV 1860 Munich in 2009: "Of course, I'm looking forward to playing with him again. I can't say how that will turn out. We've played too many years at different clubs to predict that."
Friendly in Bonn on Wednesday
The defender, born in Rosenheim, is looking to help the Werkself get back to winning ways. His first impressions of head coach Heiko Herrlich and the team were very positive. "We’ll come together as a team in the pre-season," said our new number five full of conviction. It is possible that Sven might make his debut in a Bayer 04 shirt on Wednesday. The Werkself play the third pre-season friendly away to Regional League side Bonner SC (18.30 CET, Sportpark Nord).

The clubs in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga have opened a new chapter in the history of women's football in Germany. With the official founding act of the "Frauen-Bundesliga FBL e.V." on Wednesday afternoon in Frankfurt am Main, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and the 13 other top-flight clubs have joined forces for the first time.
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The Bayer 04 U19s today, Wednesday 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET), host Newcastle United on the sixth and final matchday in the league phase of the UEFA Youth League. For coach Kevin Brok's team, the game against the English side is about securing a place in the next stage of the competition and a historic first appearance in the knockout phase. Werkself TV will broadcast the match live and free of charge from the Ulrich Haberland Stadium from 13:50 CET...
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Will Bayer 04 emulate their away wins at Benfica and Manchester City? Newcastle United are the visitors at a sold-out BayArena on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21:00 CET/live on Werkself Radio) to round off the UEFA Champions League games for the year. Coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke in advance about the momentum in Europe's premier club competition and gave an encouraging personnel update. Jarell Quansah also spoke about his experiences playing against Nick Woltemade and his wish for the Bayer 04 fans.
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Newcastle United have amassed nine points after five matchdays, one more in the UEFA Champions League than the Werkself. The Magpies are also steadily improving in the Premier League, where they're currently unbeaten in four games. On Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Eddie Howe's side will be the visitors at the BayArena. He's also likely to field two Germany internationals in the game. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The situation ahead of the showdown is clear - and promising. The Bayer 04 U19s host Newcastle United on the sixth and final matchday of the 2025/26 UEFA Youth League phase. A win at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium would see the Werkself go through to the knockout stages of the competition for the first time. Ahead of the clash on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/livestream on bayer04.de and in the Bayer 04 app), coach Kevin Brok spoke about the successful build-up, his assessment of the match and the danger of underestimating the already eliminated English side.
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