
From eight in the morning the Werkstatt was the scene of the action. The roll call included new signings Kevin Volland and Sam Schreck plus returnees Levin Öztunali, Joel Pohjanpalo, Danny da Costa and Niklas Lomb.
For the new and old boys there was the usual array of checks including spiroergometry, stamina tests, sight and balance tests plus other orthopaedic and clinical examinations to establish the basis for the start of outdoor training on Tuesday at ten a.m.
Happy Öztunali
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” said a perspiring André Ramalho as he stepped off the treadmill at the Werkstatt. His group included Levin Öztunali who returns to the BayArena in determined mood after a loan spell at Werder Bremen. “I’m really happy to be back and I can hardly wait for the new season to kick off,” said the 20-year-old. His mate Julian Brandt was up later and Karim Bellarabi was also on time on Monday. Both were in the provisional Germany squad for Euro 2016 in France but failed to make the final cut.
Bernd Leno and Jonathan Tah were in France and started a well deserved break on Thursday after the semi-final exit. Along with the other Euros participants Hakan Calhanoglu, Admir Mehmedi, Tin Jedvaj, Julian Baumgartlinger and Ramazan Özcan plus Copa America participants Chicharito and Charles Aranguiz they will return to the Werkself over the coming weeks.
Tuesday: First public session
Following the performance tests head coach Roger Schmidt has organised the first training sessions for his players on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 10.00 and 16.00 CET each day. All the training sessions are open this week. There will be one session on Friday ahead of a friendly in the evening at 19.00 CET at SC Verl as part of the training camp in Marienfeld from 15 to 17 July.

The situation ahead of the showdown is clear - and promising. The Bayer 04 U19s host Newcastle United on the sixth and final matchday of the 2025/26 UEFA Youth League phase. A win at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium would see the Werkself go through to the knockout stages of the competition for the first time. Ahead of the clash on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/livestream on bayer04.de and in the Bayer 04 app), coach Kevin Brok spoke about the successful build-up, his assessment of the match and the danger of underestimating the already eliminated English side.
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The Werkself will host VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena on matchday 16 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 10 January, at 18:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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The Werkself will host Werder Bremen at the BayArena on matchday 19 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 24 January, at 15:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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In the sixth and final match of the league phase of the UEFA Youth League 2025/26, the Bayer 04 U19s have a great opportunity to advance to the knockout phase of Europe’s most prestigious youth competition for the first time. To achieve that under their own steam, they will need a win against Newcastle United at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/ free admission). In an interview with bayer04.de, managing director sport Simon Rolfes analyses the team's performances so far and their special situation. And the 43-year-old reveals what he would be happy to do without on the day of the match.
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The next opponents in the 2025/26 DFB Pokal have been announced: Bayer 04 will host Bundesliga rivals FC St. Pauli in the quarter-finals. That was the outcome of the draw held this Sunday evening, 7 December, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund, where long-time Bundesliga player and coach Friedhelm Funkel made the draw. The Werkself will play their quarter-final tie on 3-4 or 10-11 February 2026. The exact dates have yet to be finalised.
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