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.
A special stage for women's football: When the Bayer 04 Women's team face Werder Bremen on Saturday, 12 October (kick-off: 14.00 CEST), the team led by coach Roberto Pätzold will play in front of an unusually large crowd. 19,000 tickets have already been sold for the big match at the Weserstadion.
Show moreThe second international break of the 2024/25 season is round the corner. After the Bundesliga clash against Holstein Kiel, 5 October (kick-off 15:30 CEST), several Bayer 04 players will be playing in the next set of UEFA Nations League fixtures, among others. An overview.
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without midfielder Synne Skinnes Hansen in the coming weeks. The Norwegian suffered a torn ligament in her right thigh in the match against Carl Zeiss Jena (1-0).
Show moreThe video games manufacturer Electronic Arts (EA) together with the German Football League (DFL) have announced the nominations for the vote for Bundesliga Player of the Month in September – that includes Werkself player Florian Wirtz. Black and Red fans can vote now.
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