It was frosty and cold on Thursday morning when Heiko Herrlich held the last open training session ahead of Sunday's match against Schalke 04 (25 February, 15.30 CET). Cheering warmth for Bayer 04 not only came from the decent sunshine but also the physical condition of two key players: Wendell was back on the pitch with his team-mates and is in with a chance of being available for the game against the Royal Blues. However, as the Brazilian is not completely free of pain, medical treatment resumed after the training session.
While Wendell and Co. prepare for the next challenge in the league campaign, skipper Lars Bender is working hard on making his comeback from a muscle injury. Together with fitness coach Daniel Jouvin, he worked in a one-to-one session with the ball in the neighbouring Ulrich Haberland Stadium for an hour. The 28-year-old will return to the squad in the next few days but the game on Sunday comes too early for the captain.
The same applies to Jonthan Tah. The central defender is still struggling with a bout of flu. He was able to do some light work in the Performance Center on Thursday but coach Heiko Herrlich is not banking on naming the Werkself number four on the team sheet against Schalke.
Full-back Julia Mickenhagen is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the end of the season to join Bundesliga newcomers VfB Stuttgart. The 21-year-old’s contract with the club expires on 30 June.
Show more
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 3-1 win at RB Leipzig on the 25th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
Show more
The Werkself need a win in their penultimate match of the season at RB Leipzig on Monday evening (18:00 CEST) to keep their hopes of third place alive until the final day. After Eintracht Frankfurt lost on Saturday, Roberto Pätzold's side can close the gap on their rivals to two points and leave it all to play for next Sunday.
Show more
Werkself fans from across the New York City area gathered Saturday morning at Smithfield Hall in Manhattan to cheer on Bayer 04 in the club’s crucial Bundesliga showdown against VfB Stuttgart given the match’s big implications.
Show more
In the next head-to-head clash for the Champions League places at VfB Stuttgart, Bayer 04 failed to follow up their impressive 4-1 win at home to RB Leipzig from the week before. After Aleix Garcia gave the Werkself the lead with their fastest goal of the season, the Swabians turned the game around and won 3-1, knocking Leverkusen down into sixth place. It leaves them needing a win at home to Hamburger SV and other results to go their way on the final day of the 2025/26 campaign in order to reclaim fourth spot. The Werkself Review has all the analysis and reaction from all those involved in an eventful encounter with VfB.
Show more
