Lukas Hradecky and Co. spent around 90 minutes mainly on moves in tight spaces and they finished with work on set pieces. Midfield dynamo Robert Andrich trained on his own on Tuesday due to a knock in the match against Hertha Berlin (2-1) but the 27 year-old today completed all the drills with the squad. Absent from the pitch were Karim Bellarabi, who completed an individual session, as well as Sardar Azmoun who is sidelined with a cold.
It's time again for another edition of the YouTube format 'Nachgefragt' quiz. The subject under discussion: Which superpower would you like to have? The answers from Charles Aránguiz, Jonathan Tah, Sardar Azmoun and Co. are HERE.
Bayer 04 today congratulates Robert Kovac on his 48th birthday. The Croat signed for Leverkusen from FC Nürnberg in the 1996/97 season. The central defender made a total of 162 appearances for the Black and Reds before moving on to FC Bayern in 2001. The former Werkself player was assistant coach to his brother Niko Kovac at Bayern Munich from 2018 to 2020. His last club was AS Monaco.
Michael Ortega is 31 today. The Colombian joined the Werkself on loan from Atlas Guadalajara for the 2011/12 season. The midfielder made his debut on 18 February 2012 in the 4-1 home win against FC Augsburg. At the end of the season, the former Colombia U20 international returned to his original club and the midfielder then spent a season on loan at the then second division club VfL Bochum. Ortega currently plays for the Colombian top-flight club Deportivo Cali.
Today brings the first match of the season for the Werkself. Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign today, Saturday 22 August, at 13:00 CEST with a first-round DFB Pokal tie away to third-tier side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. The 3,700 travelling fans can not only look forward to what will hopefully be a successful start to the season, but also now organise their journeys to Black and Reds games even more easily via the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Meanwhile, following two defeats at the start of the league season, SV Wehen are hoping to spring a surprise in the DFB Pokal tie. Today’s matchday news.
Show more
Carolin Simon is the new captain of the Bayer 04 women’s team. The full-back, who joined from Bayern Munich in the summer, will take over the captain’s armband for the 2026/27 season. Simon returned to Leverkusen in the summer after ten years away. The 33-year-old succeeds goalkeeper Friederike Repohl, who retired at the end of last season.
Show more
Bayer 04 start the 2026/27 season away to third-division side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Ahead of the DFB Pokal tie on Saturday 22 August (kick-off: 13:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez spoke at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. The topics: anticipation, passion, the fans’ support – and the captaincy for the new season.
Show more
After 62 days of preparation, the time has finally come: the Werkself kick off the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season on Sunday (16:00 CEST) with an away match at RB Leipzig. Following a major shake-up over the summer, with eleven players leaving and twelve new signings, initial impressions from the past few weeks have given manager Roberto Pätzold great cause for optimism.
Show more
SV Wehen Wiesbaden undoubtedly envisaged a different start to the new season. After two matchdays, the Hessen side currently sit bottom of the Liga 3 table. On Saturday 22 August (kick-off: 13:00 CEST), SVWW host the Werkself in the first round of the DFB Pokal at their home ground, the BRITA Arena. It was there, in this very competition a year ago, that the club almost pulled off a massive upset. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
