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.
With their wonderful goals, Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz are up for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025. Voting for fans will run exclusively via the official Bundesliga app until Sunday, 4 January.
Show more
Last-minute ecstasy, huge disappointment and a historic performance on the European stage - 2025 was a real emotional roller coaster, especially for the U19s. A rousing run in the knockout phase secured the team a place in the final of the German championships, where they lost by the narrowest of margins. Despite the departure of several key players, the young Werkself team quickly regained their usual strength and qualified for the knockout rounds in the UEFA Youth League for the first time at the end of the year. In 2025, youngsters Jeremiah Mensah and Montrell Culbreath made their debuts in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. The other youth teams also contributed great performances and a number of trophies to the collective Black and Red success, while the successful Bayer 04 Future Kids project broke new ground. Read on for the 2025 review of the youth teams.
Show more
Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
Show more
A memorable 12 months: 2025 was a year marked by success, intense competition and groundbreaking innovations for the #B04eSports team. After ending the 2024/25 season as runners-up, the Leverkusen-based console pros got down to business in a new, completely restructured season model, in which showdowns rather than divisions were the decisive factor on the road to the final round of the German Club Championship. Bayer 04 quickly earned a place in the history books of the most prestigious competition in German eSports and secured some valuable advantages for the coming year. Bayer04.de takes a look back at 12 months full of passion and the determination to take the next step.
Show more
Sustainability once again had many faces at Bayer 04 in 2025: In community activity, the club supported countless regional campaigns, including the Leverkusener Tafel, the Frauenennotruf Leverkusen e.V. and the homeless aid organisation "Kältegang". But the Black and Reds have also been involved in good causes around the world - including the Young Coaches training programmes in Uganda and Ecuador plus the Genuine World Cup in the USA, where the Inclusion Werkself competed. Bayer 04 was also fully committed to the environment and underwent external and independently certification in accordance with the European environmental management standard EMAS, for example, to analyse and optimise the club’s environmental efforts. Looking back at sustainability in 2025.
Show more
