
The new head coach gained important first impressions of his new team during the first session. "It's good I've got a couple of days before the next game," said Korkut: "I want to use them to get a feeling for the team." The second session held on Tuesday afternoon was behind closed doors.
Krösche and Wolf leave Bayer 04
The new boss was accompanied by his assistant Xaver Zembrod who was his number two at Hannover 96 and FC Kaiserslautern. The 50-year-old joined the coaching staff on Monday. Bayer 04 have parted company with Roger Schmidt as well as his assistant coach Markus Krösche and Jörn Wolf, the coordinator of the coaching and support staff.
Bellarabi shirt for the football museum
The next training session at the BayArena is on Wednesday (10.00 CET) and is open to the public. In the afternoon, CEO Michael Schade will present the shirt worn by Karim Bellarabi, when he scored the 50,000th goal in the history of the Bundesliga, to the German Football Museum in Dortmund.


Bayer 04 turned in a dominant performance in a 7-0 win against fifth-tier side Sportfreunde Baumberg in their first friendly ahead of the 2026/27 season. A brace from debutant Afonso Moreira (19', 27') either side of a Christian Kofane strike (23') put the Werkself 3-0 up in the first of the two 35-minute halves in Monheim am Rhein. After the break, Victor Boniface (49', 53'), Robert Andrich (56') and Nathan Tella (67') scored for the completely changed Leverkusen team. It was therefore a successful friendly debut for new head coach Carles Martínez and his team, although the hosts also had something to celebrate despite the defeat: the match marked the inauguration of Baumberg's new ground, the MEGA Stadion.
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Attention, Werkself fans: the new Away Matchday Collection is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt. It includes t-shirts, zip tops and jackets.
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Season tickets for the Werkself home matches in the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season are now on general sale. The season ticket is valid for all 13 matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The first home match will be played between 28 and 31 August against the runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, followed by the clash with the German champions, Bayern Munich, between 11 and 14 September.
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A new team, a new environment, a new challenge—and yet one thing remains the same for Afonso Moreira: his attitude. Total dedication, discipline, and the drive to improve every day have defined the Portuguese player since his early days at Sporting CP. “Even back then, I realized I had to work hard to achieve my goals,” said the 21-year-old. His parents also instilled those values in him from a young age. Values that have driven him ever since, accompanied him to France when he signed for Lyon, and now also form the foundation for his new chapter at Bayer 04. At a media session, the lightning-fast winger spoke about his values, as well as his new teammates, the new coach, and his targets at the club.
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