The hosts are playing their final friendly before they kick off their Bundesliga 2 campaign at SV Darmstadt 98 next Saturday, 2 August. It's been an intensive four weeks for the team who were related from the top flight last term. The squad reported back to work at the end of June and have since played six friendlies, losing none of them. Four of those came during VfL's training camp in Scheffau, Austria, with a 1-1 draw against Czech runners-up Viktoria Plzen, a 3-2 win over SV Waldhof Mannheim, a 5-4 success against Young Boys of Switzerland and a 0-0 draw against Metalist 1925 Kharkiv from Ukraine.
Dieter Hecking's team have undergone a revamp over the summer, with nine new signings so far. Many of them are younger player, including a familiar face in Francis Onyeka, who has been loaned from Bayer 04 to Bochum for the season. Further transfer activity cannot be ruled out, according to the media.
Coach Hecking is feeling positive: "On the whole we've had a decent pre-season. Other than Erhan Masovic and Moritz Kwarteng, we've not had any more injuries, which also helps. Every team needs a spine. Nevertheless, the new boys are providing a lot of impetus and the 'older' players are going along with that. There's a healthy competition for places, which I like." However, the veteran tactician also stressed: "When we play with a back four, I'm still not entirely happy with how we're defending. We've still got work to do there before the Leverkusen game."
The Werkself will be supported by 1,400 fans at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion. Tickets are still available on the gate, priced at €20 for seating and €12 for standing.
Today's friendly also follows Bochum's blue-and-white family day from 12-17:00. In addition to food and drinks, there will also be various fun and games in the car park at the VfL offices: from bouncy castles and an interactive goal wall to a soccer court, face painting and robot goalkeepers, there will be something for the little ones, the not-so-little ones and the grown-ups.
The match will be broadcast live on Werkself-TV. Coverage begins 10 minutes before kick-off, with commentary in German from Niko Hartmann. As ever, there'll be live score updates on bayer04.de and the Bayer 04 app.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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