Julian Brandt, Kai Havertz, Jonathan Tah (all with Germany), Charles Aránguiz (Chile), Aleksandar Dragovic (Austria), Lukas Hradecky (Finland), Tin Jedvaj (Croatia), Isaac Kiese Thelin (Sweden), Paulinho (Brazil U20s) plus Jakub Bednarczyk (Poland U20s) are away with their national teams: The international fixtures will be played from Thursday to Sunday (6 to 11 September) and the majority of the Bayer 04 pros will return to Leverkusen at the start of next week; only Charles Aránguiz and Tin Jedvaj will head back on Wednesday.
Head coach Heiko Herrlich had eight outfield players available for the training session on Monday afternoon in the shape of Lucas Alario, Leon Bailey, Karim Bellarabi, Sven Bender, Dominik Kohr, Sam Schreck, Kevin Volland and Mitchell Weiser – Rambo Özcan and Tomasz Kucz worked with goalkeeping coach Daniel Thiel on the training ground. Julian Baumgartlinger (knee), Panos Retsos (thigh), Joel Pohjanpalo (ankle),Wendell (knee) and Lars Bender were absent for the first session of the week; the captain did complete an individual session in the gym at the BayArena.
Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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One ticket, two matches – and a varied programme of events, including appearances by players from the professional teams: Bayer 04 has come up with something very special for the 2026 season launch on Saturday, 8 August. From morning right through to the evening, Werkself fans can use just one ticket to not only enjoy top-class football from the Bayer 04 teams live, but also to experience unforgettable moments with the whole family through a variety of hands-on activities around the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The day will also end on a real high note: after both matches, Bayer 04 supporters will have the opportunity to interact directly with the players during joint activities and get to know them from a different angle.
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