Successful start to 2026 training – Hjulmand: 'Nice to see all the fans again'

"I sense a good energy in everyone," summarised captain Robert Andrich in the Mixed Zone afterwards. "Everyone's tried to clear their heads a bit in their own way. You always have to keep your body fit, obviously, but the head is almost more important. And I think everyone's made the most of that."

But starting from the beginning: before the team took to the pitch, they first completed a short warm-up programme on the Speedcourt inside the BayArena. As they emerged from the catacombs, the numerous fans in the well-filled stands at the UHS applauded the return of the players, who were in high spirits. At 12 noon sharp, head coach Kasper Hjulmand finally called the players back to the centre circle in freezing temperatures of -1 degree Celsius, with Spaniard Lucas Vázquez being the only one to wear shorts.

without Badé and afcon participants, with Mensah and Culbreath

Hjulmand and his staff were able to work with a 19-man group, including youngsters Jeremiah Mensah and Montrell Culbreath. The latter scored his first Bundesliga goal in the 3-1 win at RB Leipzig just before Christmas, becoming the fourth-youngest goalscorer in Bayer 04 history.

Loïc Badé missed out as he's currently suffering with a cold, while Werkself quartet Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza, Christian Kofane and Eliesse Ben Seghir are still away at the Africa Cup of Nations. All four players are in the round of 16 with their respective countries, with Ben Seghir first up on Sunday afternoon (17:00 CET) with Morocco against Tanzania. Kofane and Cameroon take on South Africa later this evening (20:00 CET).

Coach Hjulmand is also following the action at the tournament in Morocco, and was asked about it by the media after training: "Obviously we want our players back with us as soon as possible, but equally we wish them the best, especially if they have a chance of reaching the final and winning a title. That's a great experience and it means so much for any player."

65 intense first minutes of training

Back in Leverkusen, the first session of 2026 got off to a high-intensity start. After the warm-up, the players worked on passing drills as well as small-group games in tight spaces and mini goals. Meanwhile, the trio of goalkeepers led by Mark Flekken worked separately with goalkeeping coach David Thiel as usual. After about half an hour, they moved on to the large goals and played eight-a-side on two-thirds of the pitch.

Their work was done after 65 minutes. Following the short but intensive session, the returning Werkself players took plenty of time to reward the hardy supporters with autographs and photos. "It was nice to see all the fans again," added Hjulmand. "I really admire them for being here today until the end in these very cold temperatures, and am already looking forward to our upcoming home matches."

restart against stuttgart, then off to hamburg

Talking of home matches, after a full week of training (all closed to fans) it's back to business with a double helping of Bundesliga fixtures. This Saturday, 10 January (kick-off 18:30 CET), VfB Stuttgart are the visitors to the BayArena for the first fixture of the new year.

Andrich is already looking forward to it: "A little rivalry has developed between Stuttgart and ourselves in recent years, because we've both been doing great work on a tactical and footballing level. However, regardless of the opponents, I think it's important to show right from the first game that we don't need much time to get going, because you just don't have that time."

Just three days later, on Tuesday 13 January, Leverkusen travel to Hamburger SV, where kick-off is at 20:30 CET. Tickets are still available HERE. The meeting in Hamburg concludes the first half of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season - you can find the rest of the schedule for January HERE.