
Stalwart Julian Baumgartlinger has taken another step towards playing in the European Championship finals. The 33-year-old has returned to full training with the Werkself. “It felt great to be back on the training ground with the lads after less than four months. The first sessions went better then expected and I feel really good. Now I’m going to carry on working towards playing for Austria at the Euros,” said Baumgartlinger.
Austria coach Franco Foda has called up his captain as well as Werkself central defender Aleksandar Dragovic to the preliminary Euro squad on Wednesday afternoon.
There is one match to play in the Bundesliga and then the Werkself players will set off for a well-deserved holiday or to one of the biggest international tournaments in the summer. In the final week after having Monday off there were sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. The team led by head coach Hannes Wolf will maintain that rhythm up to the away game at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, 22 May (kick-off: 15.30 CEST).







The former Leverkusen player Toni Kroos does not believe his participation in the European Championships is threatened by his latest Covid-19 infection. “Of course I’ll be ready,” said the Real Madrid midfielder who played for the Werkself from January 2009 to June 2010. Joining the Germany training camp could be delayed by a few days under certain circumstances. The team under coach Joachim Löw will prepare for the European Championship finals from 28 May in the Austrian Tyrol. Bayer 04 wish Toni a swift recovery and a successful Euros.
Bayer 04 and sponsors club partner apotal.de have provided Werkself first aid packages to all participants in the first parent workshops. The parents were given a wide range of materials such as wound treatment sets and analgesic gel.

60 per cent of the families took up the offer of the workshop. Assessment of the feedback forms revealed a high level of satisfaction and interest and that means the youth section at Bayer 04 can really look forward to the already planned next parent workshop. That will be held in June and deals with the issue of the pressure to perform. The Bayer 04 sports psychologists Simon Borgmann and Timo Heinze will be advisors for the event.
In keeping with the impending retirement of Lars and Sven Bender, we have selected the Bender edition of Connect 04 for you to enjoy. Has one of the two ever pretended to be his twin brother? HERE is the video.

Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month.
Show more
Kasper Hjulmand has led the Werkself back to winning ways and is back in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League with Bayer 04 after the 3-0 win against Villarreal on Wednesday evening. In an interview with the Werkself magazine at the BayArena in the team meeting room, directly opposite the dressing room, he provided some special insights for the current issue, which was published in January. A conversation with the 53-year-old coach about values, attitudes and personal experiences as well as interests outside of football.
Show more
The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
Show more
Bayer 04 have ended Artem Stepanov’s loan deal at Nürnberg and agreed a new loan to Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Ukrainian striker did not play as much as hoped for at the Bundesliga 2 club and will now continue his development in the Eredivisie for the rest of 2025/26.
Show more
The draw for the knockout play-offs of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League was made on Friday, 30 January and saw Bayer 04 paired with Olympiacos. It’s a reunion with the Greek side following the Werkself’s 2-0 loss in Athens on Matchday 7 of the league phase.
Show more