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.
Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed Spanish left-back Miguel Gutiérrez from Napoli. The 25-year-old has signed a contract with the club to 30 June 2031. Gutiérrez came through the youth ranks at Real Madrid; he moved to Italy a year ago from Girona, and he played a key role for Napoli with 36 appearances. The big Italian club finished last season as runners-up in Serie A.
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