Sven Bender took a knock to his right ankle in a challenge after an hour of the training session. He received treatment on the pitch before being taken to the dressing room by the physios. According to the medics, the 29-year-old central defender has not suffered a serious injury. And Heiko Herrlich is hopeful his number five will be available for Saturday. The keeper Thorsten Kirschbaum also had to drop out after 30 minutes due to a thigh problem.
Lars Bender and Kai Havertz did not train on Wednesday. The captain took a tumble in yesterday's afternoon session and today worked on his own in the gym at the BayArena. The same goes for the youngster Havertz who was rested by the coaching staff as a precaution. "Kai is only 19, he took part in all the sessions in the pre-season and he has played a lot of football recently – it is part of my responsibilities to him to make sure he is not exposed to extreme workloads like yesterday's training by resting him from time to time so we don't overextend him," said Herrlich before adding: "Theoretically, he could have completed the whole session today." The situation with Lars Bender is more involved but the Werkself head coach did emphasize he is including the number eight in his plans for the Gladbach game on Saturday as things stand.
There is optimism regarding Charles Aránguiz – particularly after the blow of losing Julian Baumgartlinger due to a knee ligament injury. "Charly is looking really good and he's improving in leaps and bounds at the moment," declared Herrlich in describing the condition of the 29-year-old Chilean who has been less involved over recent weeks due to knee problems. It appears unlikely that Aránguiz will feature on Saturday.
In spite of the many injuries and knocks, Herrlich is relaxed ahead of the start of the league campaign. "We still have an incredible number of outstanding players and quality on the pitch. I'm sure we can compensate for the absentees," said Herrlich, who has organised two further training sessions ahead of the opening league fixture – both behind closed doors.
Reinforcement in attack: Bayer 04 Leverkusen have secured the transfer of striker Maja Sternad from Bundesliga rivals SV Werder Bremen. The 22-year-old has signed a contract until 30 June 2028.
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It's a thrilling situation: as the season draws to a close, Stuttgart and Bayer 04 are heading into the home stretch almost neck and neck. After 32 games, with 17 wins, seven draws and eight defeats each, both teams are on 58 points. Even in terms of goals scored, VfB and the Werkself are level on 66. The Black and Reds have conceded just three fewer goals (43) than their rivals (46), which is why they sit one place behind fourth-placed Leverkusen. This Saturday, 9 May (kick-off: 15.30 CEST), the two teams go head to head at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with full-back Arthur ahead of schedule. The Werkself have agreed a new deal with the Brazilian to 30 June 2031. The 23-year-old was previously under contract to the summer of 2028.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen continue building the squad for the new season in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga. The 25-year-old midfielder Marlene Müller has joined the club from RB Leipzig on a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 are introducing changes to the ticket price structure for the 2026/27 season. In addition to adjusting the ticket prices, the ticket categories will also be reorganised. All season ticket holders have already been informed of the changes by e-mail. The most important information at a glance.
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