As usual on double matchdays under Peter Bosz, the head coach will field two different teams tomorrow – that means all the Werkself players will get to play. The probable formations were evident in today’s training session. After the warm-up, the outfield players were split up and they started with a five-a-side game. Then the two keepers Lukas Hradecky and Ramazan ‘Rambo’ Özcan were introduced and it then moved on to eleven-a-side. The head coach on the touchline demanded “good passes” and “passing accuracy” – and he wants to see that tomorrow on the double matchday that will be broadcast live on bayer04.de, Facebook and YouTube.
Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes has clear expectations of tomorrow’s friendlies: “In terms of performance and workload, I expect us to play well tomorrow. It’s important for us to be ready for the Bundesliga restart.” He has been impressed by the training camp in La Manga so far. “The players are very focused and committed. There’s a good spirit in the squad,” he said in an exclusive interview with Bayer 04 TV.
Reinforcements have arrived today from Leverkusen for the games against Utrecht and St. Gallen. The two U19 youngsters Fabian Rüth and Leon Gaedicke flew out to Spain. The two completed individual training sessions. They can hope to get time on the pitch with the senior players tomorrow but will start on the bench.
To help communication on and off the pitch, the players from abroad regularly have German lessons with Carlos Sobarzo, head of integration for the Bayer 04 first team, as was the case this morning. While new signing Exequiel Palacios is starting with the basics, it’s all running smoothly for Moussa Diaby. “He’s making good progress,” reported Sobarzo, who used to have a language school. The lessons cover football vocabulary plus words and sentences useful for conversation on a daily basis.
The second European away game takes the Werkself to the Portuguese capital Lisbon. Kasper Hjulmand's team will face record champions Benfica on Wednesday, 5 November (kick-off: 20:00 GMT, 21:00 CET) on matchday 4 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League. As usual, we will take you along on the #aCROSSeurope journey and report from Lisbon. The times given are Central European Time.
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The Werkself beat Benfica 1-0 on Matchday 4 of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League league phase to seal three crucial points! Both teams had promising chances in the first half, but the contest was goalless at half-time. Substitute Patrik Schick headed in to score the only goal after the restart (65’). The home side went looking for an equaliser but Bayer 04 defended passionately to see out the storm.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-1 win against Hamburger SV on the 9th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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The Werkself consolidated their position among the top teams in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga thanks to a last-minute goal on Wednesday evening. Roberto Pätzold’s team beat Hamburger SV 2-1 at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Kristin Kögel (14’) and Caroline Kehrer (90’+5) scored for Bayer 04. The result takes Bayer 04 Women onto 19 points, third in the table behind top two Bayern Munich (25) and VfL Wolfsburg (22).
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One Bayer 04 player in particular is looking forward to the Werkself’s Champions League match away at Benfica on Wednesday 5 November (kick-off at 21:00 CET). Alejandro Grimaldo returns to his old stomping ground for the first time since he joined Bayer 04 two years ago. He encounters a Portuguese side that are unbeaten in the domestic league but under pressure in the UEFA Champions League having not taken any points, even under new coach José Mourinho. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in Lisbon.
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