Back in Leverkusen: After a total of twelve Werkself players were on the road with their national teams last week, Gerardo Seoane was able to welcome back the first returnees to training on Thursday morning. Edmond Tapsoba, Moussa Diaby, Odilon Kossounou, Lukas Hradecky and Jonathan Tah were the first five internationals to complete their first training session in the shadow of the BayArena.
The South American international players Exequiel Palacios, Charles Aránguiz and Piero Hincapie only return to Germany today and they will rejoin the squad tomorrow (Friday).
Speaking to the media, Seoane spoke about the international break and the numerous call-ups as follows: I'm always very keen to follow the international games and the performance of our players called up. Of course, you always have one eye on their fitness. But I always prefer it if the players get to play. That shows they've produced the performances to get there. And they also keep in a rhythm. There are obviously benefits of players staying here as we can control their workload," said the Swiss coach.
The 43-year-old coach was positive about Charles Aránguiz playing for Chile: "Charly has been hit with a lot of injuries in recent years but he's been completely free of problems for several games. He always produces good performances in whichever role he plays for us. To that extent, it's important for him to be at 100% so that he can keep in rhythm over a longer period of time and we don't have to take any risks."
Seoane highlighted the attitude of the midfield maestro: "He's very professional, works a lot, is focused and he knows his body. He has a role model function in our team. He's always the first there and one of the last to go."
For the home game at the BayArena against Hertha Berlin on Saturday 2 April (kick-off: 15.30 CEST), there will be a large number of closures affecting S-Bahn and motorway traffic due to the work on infrastructure for the Rhein-Ruhr-Express: S-Bahn trains between Cologne and Düsseldorf terminate at the Chempark station. From here there is a replacement bus service to Langenfeld – the same applies in the other direction.
All visitors planning to travel by rail are advised by Bayer 04 to take the RB 48 to the Leverkusen-Manfort station. From there there is a 20-minute walk to the BayArena.
From Friday 1 April (22.00 CEST) to Monday 11 April (05.00 CEST), the Willy-Brandt-Ring between Carl-Duisberg-Straße and Edith-Weyde-Straße will be completely closed to road traffic as well as pedestrians and cyclists. The motorway exit from the A3 interchange for Leverkusen city centre is closed. Diversions will be shown for road traffic.
Car drivers wanting to reach the Kurtekotten car park via the A3 should come off the motorway in Köln-Mülheim and head for the car park via the B8 in the direction of Leverkusen (Düsseldorfer Straße). Otto-Bayer-Straße is recommended for satnav use. Car drivers who have parking permits around the BayArena recommended to use the A3 taking the Leverkusen-Opladen exit. From there, the car parks (green and red) will be signposted.
Bayer 04 recommends all fans to arrive early at the game. The BayArena opens two hours before kick-off at 13.30 CEST.
Lothar Matthäus talked about a possible call-up to the Germany squad for Robert Andrich in an article in the Bild Zeitung. The Germany international with the record number of caps compared the Werkself number 8 to Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich): "Robert Andrich is a similar player to Kimmich. At Leverkusen he’s shown he has the answers on the pitch." The TV pundit also shared a prediction: "I think he – if he maintains his performances – will get the call from Hansi (Germany coach Flick, ed.).”
“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and the matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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“They stuck with us over the past few weeks when things weren’t going so well,” said captain Edmond Tapsoba, thanking the fans for their support after the 2–1 win in Cologne and dedicating the derby victory to them. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Werkself had looked unfazed and in command, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on FC Köln. It was the sixth consecutive win against the Cologne team for Bayer 04 – head coach Carles Martínez, on the other hand, was facing the team from the neighbouring city for the first time and “now really knows what this derby win means”. The Werkself derby review.
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Following the 2–1 derby victory away at FC Köln on Bundesliga matchday 9, Edmond Tapsoba, Malik Tillman and Aleix Garcia spoke to Werkself TV...
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