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 situation ahead of the showdown is clear - and promising. The Bayer 04 U19s host Newcastle United on the sixth and final matchday of the 2025/26 UEFA Youth League phase. A win at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium would see the Werkself go through to the knockout stages of the competition for the first time. Ahead of the clash on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/livestream on bayer04.de and in the Bayer 04 app), coach Kevin Brok spoke about the successful build-up, his assessment of the match and the danger of underestimating the already eliminated English side.
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The Werkself will host VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena on matchday 16 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 10 January, at 18:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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The Werkself will host Werder Bremen at the BayArena on matchday 19 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 24 January, at 15:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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In the sixth and final match of the league phase of the UEFA Youth League 2025/26, the Bayer 04 U19s have a great opportunity to advance to the knockout phase of Europe’s most prestigious youth competition for the first time. To achieve that under their own steam, they will need a win against Newcastle United at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/ free admission). In an interview with bayer04.de, managing director sport Simon Rolfes analyses the team's performances so far and their special situation. And the 43-year-old reveals what he would be happy to do without on the day of the match.
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The next opponents in the 2025/26 DFB Pokal have been announced: Bayer 04 will host Bundesliga rivals FC St. Pauli in the quarter-finals. That was the outcome of the draw held this Sunday evening, 7 December, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund, where long-time Bundesliga player and coach Friedhelm Funkel made the draw. The Werkself will play their quarter-final tie on 3-4 or 10-11 February 2026. The exact dates have yet to be finalised.
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