
Karim Bellarabi, who was unable to play to the end of the water fight against FC Nürnberg on Monday night due to muscular problems, is also on the road to recovery. On Wednesday, he trained on his own in the gym but the 28-year-old should be back on the pitch for the closed training session on Thursday. "I expect he will be fit for Saturday," said Heiko Herrlich on Wednesday.
The Werkself coach was less optimistic about Sven Bender who was substituted at half-time due to foot pains. "At the moment, we are leaning towards resting him – we definitely don't want to make a mistake that rules him out over the long term," added Herrlich. If the Werkself number five is sidelined then Aleksandar Dragovic, who played against Ludogorets and FC Nürnberg, is an alternative and Tin Jedvaj can also play in central defence.

The United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is celebrated worldwide on 3 December. Together with Bayer AG, Bayer 04 is once again setting an example for diversity and inclusion by lighting up the BayArena in purple in the evening.
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For the second time in four days, Bayer 04 face Borussia Dortmund this Tuesday evening, 2 December (kick-off: 21:00 CET) - this time in the round of 16 of the DFB Pokal, with more than 7,000 fans supporting the Werkself at Signal Iduna Park. After the recent 2-1 defeat to BVB in the league, several cup stats provide hope of revenge for the Black and Reds. There are several reasons why Bayer 04 recommends getting to the round of 16 clash early, in which VAR will be in use, unlike in the previous rounds. Read on for further information on tonight’s game in our matchday news.
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Just three days on from the Bundesliga meeting in Leverkusen, Bayer 04 now visit Borussia Dortmund in the DFB Pokal on Tuesday (21:00 CET). Ahead of the game at the Signal Iduna Park, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about how to approach this second encounter in 72 hours and a number of developments within the squad.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 12 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...