Unfortunately, it is the scene at the Wuppertaler Stadion am Zoo ground on early Tuesday evening that overshadowed the football: Karim Bellarabi collapsed an hour into the friendly in Wuppertal and was taken off on a stretcher. Due to the effects of the heat, the 28-year-old Werkself winger was then taken to a nearby hospital where he was kept in overnight as a precaution. He received the all clear on his condition last night and was discharged this morning to the relief of everybody concerned: The 11-time Germany international is feeling better but he will now have the opportunity to recover properly.
Today was also a more relaxing day for the Werkself or to be more exact: It was a question of stress control. In place of the training ground, Heiko Herrlich's players completed a recovery programme in the gym at the BayArena. Only Paulinho and Panos Retsos worked on their fitness outdoors on the training ground. The recent incident with Bellarabi served to sharpen awareness. "Even if you're not playing football, heat can place enormous stress on the body," said Herrlich shortly after yesterday's friendly. Health has absolute priority even when looking for the best possible pre-season, with Herrlich having to manage without eight of his pros in Wuppertal ahead of the training camp in Salzburger Land (29 July to 5 August), the next friendly is on Saturday away to Dutch top-flight side Fortuna Sittard.
After Mitchell Weiser paid a visit to the 100 or so girls and boys at the Bayer 04 Soccer School holiday camp last week, it was Wendell's turn on Wednesday afternoon to be the star on site. At the media centre at the BayArena, the 25-year-old Brazilian was happy to face a host of questions from the kids. With his usual broad smile, the left back took part in a 20-minute Q&A session – and in German too: That covered school education, his original position in playing football, his biggest successes to date, the frequent fun on Instagram with his team-mate Leon Bailey, and his football role model Zé Roberto. And once again there were opportunities at the end for the youngsters to get his autograph and also take part in a group photo.
While the sun was beating down outside, there were plenty of flashes of light this morning in the 19NULLVIER Lounge at the BayArena. The reason: The start of September sees the release of the new Bayer 04 fan merchandise catalogue, which requires a two-day photo shoot starting on Wednesday. The first part of the Werkself pros including Julian Baumgartlinger, Kevin Volland, Lars Bender and Lucas Alario appeared before and after the recovery session to pose for the cameras – either in the new menswear or new kit. In the same breath, there were three different camera points for additional marketing purposes and photos for the new autograph cards. Whether it was with a serious or friendly face, relaxed or celebrating – it wasn't only the photographers who clearly had fun at the shoot. That will almost certainly apply to the rest of the Werkself players on Thursday…
On Tuesday it was announced that Kai Havertz will receive a gold Fritz Walter medal from the German Football Association (DFB) for U19s. After countless congratulations were received by the 19-year-old, talented Werkself midfielder, Kai took the chance to express his gratitude: "Receiving such an individual award is unusual for a team player. The Fritz Walter medal not only honours me but also the people who have supported me in recent years – primarily my family and my coaches but also, of course, the fans," said Havertz during the photo shoot on Wednesday.
With seven points, Mainz 05 are currently joint seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Bayer 04. In today’s head-to-head clash (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself must be particularly wary of the clinical Mainz strike duo. For Leverkusen fans who have left it to the last minute, there are still a few tickets available from the matchday ticket office. Those following the Black and Reds from home, on the other hand, have a choice: RTL is broadcasting the match on free-to-air TV, and Werkself Radio is also offering the expert commentary of former Bayer 04 player Falko Götz. Today’s matchday news.
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Back from the international break: On Saturday 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself are away to Mainz 05. Ahead of the clash at the MEWA ARENA against the side currently sixth in the table, head coach Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about the team’s work during the extended international break. The Spaniard also commented, when asked, on a number of squad matters, including Ibrahim Maza.
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FSV Mainz 05 went into the international break on the back of an away win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Currently sixth in the table, the Rheinhessen side – who have been impressive on the road – now aim to continue their good start to the Bundesliga campaign at home when they face the Werkself on Saturday, 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). In terms of squad selection, Urs Fischer once again has more options at his disposal. Up front, the Mainz coach is likely to continue relying on what is currently the league’s most successful strike partnership. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Thomas Eichin has been working for Bayer 04 for six years – as Director of Professional Teams since July 2023 – and has contributed to the successful development of our club in many areas. Today, Friday 9 October, Freiburg-born Eichin is celebrating his 60th birthday. We wish him a very happy birthday.
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Together with his family, friends and close associates, Bayer 04 Leverkusen bid farewell to Peter Hermann. The club’s long-serving assistant manager passed away on 19 September following a serious illness. Today, Thursday 8 October, Bayer 04 held an event attended by around 200 invited guests to commemorate Peter Hermann’s legacy. Representatives from the DFB and the other professional clubs where Hermann worked paid their respects to him at the BayArena.
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