Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, plus head coach Gerardo Seoane and captain Lukas Hradecky first listened to friendly words from the hosts on the third deck of the MS Schmitten: Yvonne Rosenstatter (Area director in marketing management at SalzburgerLand) and Renate Ecker (Director of tourism, Zell am See-Kaprun) were proud of another visit from the Champions League participants.
"Salzburger Land provides outstanding conditions for different sports – including football," said Rosenstatter. "We are therefore very proud of the active and familiar partnership with Bayer 04 that is already ten years old." Ecker also highlighted the "solid partnership, with the Werkself and spoke about "meeting up as friends."
"It's clear that it's really great to be here under these circumstances," added Fernando Carro against the mountain backdrop around Zeller See. "The coaching staff know the local area and facilities well from last year. That was a big advantage in our advanced planning."
And head coach Gerardo Seoane also looked very impressed with the facilities. The Swiss coach not only praised the training set-up at the Alois Latini Stadium and the accommodation – the Hotel Tauern Spa – but also the wide range of options in the area. The Werkself have taken part in a bike tour, played beach volleyball, tried out stand-up paddle boarding on Zeller See. And the culinary delights of Austrian cuisine were discovered with an evening meal at a restaurant in Zell am See-Kaprun. "This training camp gives us the opportunity to get to know each other as a group in a completely different way," said Seoane. "That strengthens team spirit in the long run."
The Bayer 04 women’s team secured a win in the friendly during the international break. Without a total of eight international players, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team defeated Bundesliga 2 side Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1 at the Kurtekotten Training Centre, thanks to goals from Lobke Loonen (1’, penalty), Caroline Kehrer (41') and Valentina Mädl (66').
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FSV Mainz 05 went into the international break on the back of an away win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Currently sixth in the table, the Rheinhessen side – who have been impressive on the road – now aim to continue their good start to the Bundesliga campaign at home when they face the Werkself on Saturday, 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). In terms of squad selection, Urs Fischer once again has more options at his disposal. Up front, the Mainz coach is likely to continue relying on what is currently the league’s most successful strike partnership. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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During the first international break of the 2026/27 season, set to last just under three weeks, nine Bayer 04 first-team players are in action with their respective national teams. Read on for updates on matches featuring Werkself players…
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