Löw has selected 24 players, including Max Meyer, Julian Brandt and Niklas Süle who won silver medals a week ago at Rio 2016. Commenting on the trio, Löw said : “Max Meyer and Julian Brandt have already been with us and we wanted to get to know Niklas Süle. The three youngsters earned their call-ups through their very good performances. I think they see the call-up as motivation and inspiration to produce consistent performances. With players like them we are looking to take the next step in their development. They have great potential. As a general rule: The door to the national side is open. I’m sure other players will get their chance in the coming months.”
For Karim Bellarabi and Kevin Volland this represents a return to the Germany squad after missing out on Euro 2016.
Next Wednesday’s international against Finland will be the final international appearance for Bastian Schweinsteiger. The captain announced his international retirement a few days after the Euros and the game against the Scandinavians will be cap number 121 for the 32-year-old. The game in Mönchengladbach was also supposed to present a chance for Lukas Podolski to bid farewell on the international stage. Due to injury, Podolski will have to catch up at a later date.
The fourth European away trip of the season in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 takes the Werkself to the Greek capital. Head coach Kasper Hjulmand's team are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday seven in the UCL league phase. The match at the Karaiskakis Stadium is on Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET). We'll be taking you on a trip to Athens and reporting on the Werkself close-up...
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A great honour for Bayer 04 Women's German international: as part of the 2025 Sports Awards, Carlotta Wamser entered her name into the City of Leverkusen's Golden Book. On Tuesday, she looked back on a special year in a talk in the Morsbroich Castle hall of mirrors.
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It was a disappointing night in Athens: The Werkself lost 2-0 away to Olympiacos on Matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. In a match that was intense and fiery from the outset, the high-pressing home side made the better start and took the lead through Costinha on two minutes. Although the Werkself had a number of chances to equalise, the clinical Greek side increased the lead to 2-0 shortly before half-time (45+1’). In the second half, Leverkusen once again gave their all and showed total commitment but, despite their best efforts, the Black and Reds were unable to break down the Olympiacos defence on the night.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed a loan deal with Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach for Argentinian striker Alejo Sarco. The 20-year-old joins Mönchengladbach with immediate effect for the rest of the season.
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The Werkself are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. Tonight, 20 January (kick-off: 22:00 local time/21:00 CET), Bayer 04 will not only face a familiar face in Panagiotis Retsos, but also an experienced and successful team in their Greek top-flight opponents. The Olympiacos midfield and forward line in particular are peppered with seasoned veterans from top European clubs - but even they will first have to find solutions against the Werkself defence that has recently performed with aplomb in the UCL. The matchday news.
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