The Werkself achieved the target for the season in the Bundesliga last weekend with qualification for the Champions League. Nevertheless, the head coach of the Black and Reds is determined to get a positive result in the final match in the current campaign. "We are approaching it as normal and want to give the supporters a good performance in front of a full house," explained Gerardo Seoane looking forward to the home game against SC Freiburg on Saturday 14 May (kick-off: 15.30 CEST).
While Kerem Demirbay remains a doubt and Karim Bellarabi is ruled out from returning to the squad in spite of being back on the training ground, there could be changes in the starting eleven. Seoane said: "Depending on possible injuries and performances in training."
The former Bayer 04 youngster Dominik Kohr has signed a permanent deal with Mainz 05 following an 18-month loan deal. The club from the Rhineland Palatinate announced on Thursday that the 28-year-old player from Eintracht Frankfurt has signed a four-year contract to 2026. The defensive midfielder joined Eintracht in July 2019 after eleven years under the Bayer Cross – with the exception of a period on loan at FC Augsburg.
Former Leverkusen player Hakan Calhanoglu has won the Italian cup competition with Inter Milan. In the derby d’Italia against Juventus the former Bundesliga player Ivan Perisic played a big part in the 4-2 win with Calhanoglu (2014 to 2017 at Bayer 04) levelling at 2-2 from the penalty spot. Inter are still in with a chance of the double as they are just two points behind city rivals AC Milan in the league.
Thomas ‘Tom’ Dooley celebrates his 61st birthday today (Thursday) – many happy returns from Bayer 04. The former defender played for the Werkself in the 1994/95 season. He made 82 international appearances for the USA during his playing career. The Werkself Magazine has produced an exciting profile of Dooley. Stay fit and healthy, Tom.
Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day four (Wednesday 5 August) is all about training. The day begins with a gruelling open training session – new signing Miguel Gutiérrez also takes part. A second session follows in the afternoon, this time behind closed doors.
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At the training camp in the Weimarer Land region, Bayer 04 head coach Carles Martínez and his long-standing assistant Pol García talk about their first few weeks with the Werkself, their expectations of their own work, the coaching staff and the squad, as well as the style of football they want the team to play. They emphasise the importance of a winning mentality within the team, comment on cultural and personal differences in the world of football, and outline their goals for the coming season...
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