News in brief: Lunev replaces Hradecky – 15,000 capacity at Frankfurt

Four games in ten days plus numerous hours of travel – that is the agenda for the next two weeks before a well-deserved if short winter break. The team travel to Budapest on Wednesday morning, 8 December. This year's penultimate week of training began with a reduced squad on Monday morning. While the players in the starting line-up in the 7-1 win against Greuther Fürth completed an individual session at the BayArena, the rest of the squad were working on the training pitch two at the BayArena.

Bakker back on the pitch

There was a comeback on the next pitch. Mitchell Bakker, who suffered an ankle injury in the home game against VfL Wolfsburg at the end of October, was working individually with rehab coach Daniel Jouvin in the open air. Head coach Gerardo Seoane forecast a return to full training this year but a place in the squad appears unlikely. "We've determined the programme for the time around New Year so that takes him to the start of preparations for the second half of the season," explained the Swiss coach.

Squad yet to be announced for Budapest game

Seoane did not want to reveal his squad for the last group match in the Europa League in Budapest. Ahead of the meeting with Ferencváros, it is certain the Werkself will be in the Round of 16 so he could rest some of his regular starters. Possible candidates are definitely Florian Wirtz and Patrick Schick. Both have had injury problems recently. "We won't take any risks with them," said Seoane. It is very possible the two prolific scorers may not travel to the Hungarian capital.

"Lunev has earned his place"

Andrey Lunev already has the thumbs up for the match in Budapest. The Russia keeper will replace Lukas Hradecky in goal. "Andrey is an experience keeper and is training very well. He has earned his place in the team," explained the Werkself head chef. Lunev joined Leverkusen from Zenit St. Petersburg in the summer of 2021.

15,000 capacity at Frankfurt 

The next Bundesliga away game at Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday will be played in front of 15,000 spectators. That was announced by Eintracht Frankfurt. The Frankfurt health authority has approved the relevant application from the Hessen club.

The 2G rule will apply to the Deutsche Bank Park for the first time with all spectators having to be fully vaccinated or fully recovered. Children and teenagers up to the age of 17 and people with medical exemption from vaccination will only need a negative flow test not more than 24 hours old. Children up to the age of six do not have to be vaccinated.

Great interest in football talk show with Völler

For the first time this season the Doppelpass programme on Sport1 topped one million. The guests on the football talk show included Rudi Völler, Bayer 04 sporting managing director. The last Doppelpass edition also set a record this season on the television company's digital platforms.

Schuster with goal of the month in December 1994

The former Werkself player Bernd Schuster, who played for Leverkusen from 1993 to 1996 making a total of 59 appearances (eight goals), won the vote for ARD Sportschau Goal of that Month in December 1994. The vote is now 27 years ago but it remains no less spectacular: In the second leg of the UEFA Cup Round of 16 against Katowice on 6 December 1994, Schuster scored with a free kick on the left from an almost impossible angle to make it 1-0 (final score 4-0).

And there was more: In 1994, the now 61-year-old had already scored the Goal of the Month twice and in the vote for Goal of the Season his goals took places one to three. What an achievment!