As usual, head coach Peter Bosz held several training sessions at Bismarckstraße this week but this time dispensed with an FKT (Football fitness training) session. In the shadows of the BayArena, the Dutchman and his fellow coaches worked hard preparing the team for the forthcoming Rhineland clash with the Foals: The Werkself are away to ninth-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday, 6 March. The kick off at BORUSSIA PARK is at 15.30 CET and Werks11 Radio will again start broadcasting 30 minutes before kick-off as usual.
Bayer04.de brings you impressions of the training sessions on Wednesday and Thursday – where the goalkeeper trio of Lennart Grill, Niklas Lomb and Marcel Johnen were working flat out in the absence through injury of first choice keeper Lukas Hradecky:
Before that, the Bayer 04 Women are in action: They open matchday 14 against FFC Turbine Potsdam on Friday night, 5 March (kick-off: 19.15 CET/live on Eurosport and MagentaSport). The preview not only contains information on the line-up as well as statements from head coach Achim Feifel but also a link to the Rasenreport magazine. This free online matchday programme provides further details on the clash with the team from Potsdam. Click HERE for the preview.
As VfL Wolfsburg announced on Thursday via Twitter, the long-standing VfL scout Rudi Wojtowicz is in an induced coma. The 64-year-old, who played for the Werkself from 1982 to 1986, collapsed on his way to watching an opposing team. "Our thoughts are with you – fight, Rudi!," was the message from Wolfsburg. We fully concur with that!
A long-standing number one goalkeeper at the Werkself celebrates his 29th birthday: Bayer 04 congratulate Bernd Leno on his birthday and wish him continuing success in the Premier League with Arsenal.
Leno came through the youth ranks at VfB Stuttgart but the 1.90 metre tall keeper made the step up to professional football under the Buyer Cross. Having arrived on loan in the summer of 2011, Bayer 04 made the deal permanent six months later. In the following six and a half years at the Werkself, Leno clocked up an impressive 304 appearances – after Rüdiger Vollborn the second highest number of games of all the goalkeepers in the history of Bayer 04. He joined Arsenal in 2018 and is still between the sticks for the London club.
Landon Donovan was at Leverkusen somewhat longer before Bernd Leno. The striker joined the Werkself from USA club IMG Bradenton Academics in 1999. Initially he played for the Leverkusen second team and then for the senior side for a number of years. Donovan only played seven games for Bayer 04 in the Bundesliga with his most successful time coming later with LA Galaxy. To date, he is one of six USA players to run out for the Werkself. Donovan is 39 years old this Thursday and Bayer 04 send congratulations across the big pond.
Like Donovan at the American second division club San Diego Loyal, another birthday boy is now a head coach: Cottbus head coach Dirk Lottner celebrates his birthday on Thursday and is now 49 years old. Born in Cologne, he played for the Werkself from 1997 to 1999. After hanging up his boots in 2007 and going on to coach at FC Köln, Hansa Rostock and FC Saarbrücken, Lottner has been at the helm of fourth division Energie Cottbus since September of last year. And many happy returns to you too, Dirk – stay fit and healthy.
Construction work continues on the ‘Haus der Talente’ on Kurtekottenweg in Leverkusen, where 36 young elite athletes will find a new home from next summer. The building team from Temmink Bau, led by Thomas Wellers, are hard at work. Over the past few days, excavators, wheeled loaders and rollers have removed 2,500 cubic metres of soil to excavate the basement.
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Special events for a special match: Bayer 04 are offering fans a varied programme of events at tonight’s home game in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga against German champions Bayern Munich (kick-off: 18:00 CEST). Alongside a number of interactive activities, events to mark the DFB Sustainability matchday are also planned around the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Read on in the matchday news ahead of the clash with FC Bayern.
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Once again, two Fritz Walter Gold Medals are heading to Leverkusen: Bayer 04 new signing Kennet Eichhorn and Francis Onyeka, a product of the Werkself youth set-up, currently on loan at SV Elversberg, were honoured for their performances during the 2025/26 season. The DFB announced the awards on Monday, 14 September. The Fritz Walter Medal is the most prestigious individual award in German youth football.
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Following two close encounters against VfL Wolfsburg and away to TSG Hoffenheim, the Bayer 04 Women face another top side on Monday night. The Werkself host German double winners Bayern Munich at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 18:00 CEST to round off matchday 4 in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. Head coach Roberto Pätzold is counting on another spirited performance from his team.
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