
The Germany international did not complete all the drills, but after months in rehab and lots of individual sessions, working with his team-mates represents an important step in the right direction for the 26-year-old.
Kevin Kampl is also well on the way to making his comeback. The midfielder, who has been sidelined with a metatarsal injury, returned to work with fitness coaches Schahriar Bigdeli and Daniel Jouvin. At the same time, the rest of the squad were preparing for the final home game of the year against FC Ingolstadt.
Visit to children’s clinic
Following the training session, several Werkself players made their way to the children’s clinic in Leverkusen for the annual festive visit to young patients.
Happy Birthday
An old friend celebrates his 40th birthday today (Wednesday). Daniel Niedzkowski, who was assistant coach at Bayer 04 for three years up to the summer, is now working with the German FA (DFB) as assistant to the Under 21s coach Stefan Kuntz and he also supports Frank Wormuth, the head of coach education. Bayer 04 wish Daniel Niedzkowski many happy returns.


After their first win on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase, Olympiacos are still in with a good chance of reaching the play-offs in the UEFA Champions League. The 2024 UEFA Conference League winners will be looking to go one better in their home match against Bayer 04 this Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), but their stop scorer is unavailable. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Panagiotis, known as Panos, Retsos wore the Bayer 04 jersey for three years. Including his loan spells, he was under contract with the Werkself for a total of four and a half years. "It's a very special club for me," said the 27-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club Olympiacos in 2022, in an interview with bayer04.de. The former Leverkusen man is now captain and a first choice for the Werkself's next opponents in the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday night, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Retsos talks about his fond memories of his time in Leverkusen and the imminent reunion with some of his former team-mates. He also talks about who brought him to Leverkusen and why he likes getting older.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without goalkeeper Mark Flekken and forward Nathan Tella for the time being.
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After a week in the Algarve, the Bayer 04 Women returned home on Saturday afternoon. The Werkself had six training sessions, two friendlies and a lot of time together as a team. Roberto Pätzold's team will be back in action in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga next Friday for the start of matchday 15.
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