Julian Baumgartlinger and Vlad Yurchenko, who were due to play World Cup qualifiers for their national sides the night before, are expected back on Thursday. Coach Heiko Herrlich misses two players due to injury as he prepares for the third Bundesliga matchday: Tin Jedvaj is in rehab after suffering a hairline fracture to his shin. And new signing Panos Retsos, who arrived in Leverkusen on Tuesday, is working on his own in the Werkstatt as he recovers from a blow to his right knee playing for his country.
Retsos had to miss the first session with his new team-mates. Instead he took time out in the afternoon to face questions from members of the written and radio media. The 19-year-old commented…
...on his decision to join Bayer 04:
"It's a great honour for me to play for a club like Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The club has always played in the Champions League in recent years and is one of the big clubs. It was important for me and my development to take the next step at a club like this. I spoke to Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Konstantinos Stafylidis (former Bayer 04 players) to find out more about Bayer 04. Papa only had good things to say and he told me it's like a family here and the club places great value in young players. That was very important for me and it encouraged me a lot."
...on the Bundesliga:
"The Bundesliga is one of the best leagues in the world. I'm really happy I can play here in spite of my young age. After the Bundesliga players Papadopoulos (Hamburg SV), Staflidis (FC Augsburg) and Sokratis (Borussia Dortmund) told me about the league when they were with the national team, I definitely wanted to come here."
...on his favourite position:
"I played in several positions at Olympiakos last season. It wasn't that easy. For me personally and for my development the most important thing is to play regularly – it doesn't matter whether it’s in the centre or the right at the back or in holding midfield. I feel most at home in central defence but I don't have any problem with playing at left back. The main thing is I can get to play.
...on possible selection for Saturday:
"I took a blow to the right knee in the World Cup qualifier against Estonia. It's not a bad injury but after talking to the doctors we didn't want to take any risks so I’ve eased off for a couple of days. That's why I worked on my own in the gym today but I hope to back with the rest of the team in the next few days. We'll have to see if that will be enough for Saturday’s game against Mainz."
...on leaving Greece:
"The last training sessions with my old team-mates at Olympiakos and the farewell were sad moments for me – I'd spent ten or eleven years at the club. And the day I flew out was very emotional: A lot of my friends were at the airport to say goodbye. But along with the tears there were a whole load of happy feelings because I very much looked forward to taking the next step and moving to Leverkusen."
...on his first impressions at Bayer 04:
My first impressions have been fantastic: The stadium is great and the same applies to the different training facilities. Even though the facilities at Olympiakos were very good, it's a completely different level here."
...on his targets:
"I'd like to become a better player – at Bayer 04 I'll be playing with very good team-mates and in the Bundesliga I'll be up against other top players. I want to take the next step here and I hope I'll develop into a leading player."
With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
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Following Patrik Schick, Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Kerim Alajbegovic earlier this week, the next World Cup participant is back on the training ground in Leverkusen: On Thursday 30 July, Malik Tillman rejoined the squad, completing his first training session under head coach Carles Martínez.
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