Florian Wirtz is on his way back. The Werkself youngster has struggled with muscular problems in his hip since the Europa League home game against Real Betis (4-0). The 18-year-old could return to the squad. The forward today completed an individual session with fitness coach Schahriar Bigdeli and primarily worked with the ball. His first session with the team is planned for tomorrow (Wednesday).
And Bayer 04 attacker Karim Bellarabi is also on the verge of making his return. The 31-year-old suffered a torn muscle in his right thigh at the end of October in the derby against FC Köln (2-2) and today he completed the warm-up routine with the squad. After that, the striker worked with fitness coach Daniel Jouvin. He is also due to rejoin the squad tomorrow.
Both Werkself players could be in the squad for the Bundesliga match against VfL Bochum on Saturday, 20 November (kick-off: 15.30 CET).
Patrik Schick and Charles Aránguiz are also working hard on making a comeback. Schick was back on the pitch on Tuesday with Bayer 04 physio Hans-Jörg Schneider after injuring ligaments in his left ankle. "His ligaments have healed. But we need to continue to be careful and wait and see how he is with pain over the next few days," explained head coach Gerardo Seoane to the media after the training session.
Robert Andrich, who suffered a slight knock in the Hertha game, took part in the warm-up routine with the team and then joined in with the individual training session along with Karim Bellarabi and Charles Aránguiz. The latter was back on the pitch for the second time on Tuesday morning following his calf injury. And it is also possible that the Chilean may return to full training during the course of the week.
Gerardo Seoane will only decide which of the players on their way back could be an option for the Bochum game after the final pre-match training session on Friday: “Of course, we want to have as many fit players as possible available but we have eight more difficult games ahead of us this year. It's always about assessing risk over the long term," said the Swiss coach.
Head coach Gerardo Seoane was a guest on 'Der Sechzehner' podcast. In a discussion with St. Pauli club official Ewald Lienen and football commentator Michael Born, the 42-year-old talked about his preferred style of play and the development of the Werkself since he took over the helm.
The whole episode can be heard HERE or on the usual podcast platforms.
Six current and former Bayer 04 players and staff represented Germany on Sunday, 14 November in the international against Armenia (4-1). Defender Jonathan Tah and physio Jens Joppich were joined by former Leverkusen teammates Kai Havertz (Chelsea), Kevin Volland (AS Monaco), Bernd Leno (Arsenal) and Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund). That was the source of this excellent snapshot. A cool group.
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Austria or Kosovo? Claudia Wenger or Lumbardha Misini? Only one of these two Bayer 04 women will see her dream of competing at the World Cup in Brazil (24 June to 25 July 2027) live on beyond the next two weeks. From a Leverkusen perspective, the two direct clashes between the Werkself players as they battle for a place in the second play-off round stand out during the upcoming international break. For several other players, the chance of a World Cup place is also at stake. Bayer04.de provides an overview of the women’s international call-ups.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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