Following the debrief after the Bayern Munich game Tin Jedvaj, Aleksandar Dragovic and Co. headed for the training ground at the BayArena in temperatures of around 30 degrees. 17 outfield players and four goalkeepers were available at the start of the week as was the Europa League match ball the Werkself will be playing with for the first time this season.
The coaching staff organised football tennis matches and shooting practice to familiarize the players with the new white and orange ball. The players who completed the full 90 minutes against Bayern ended the training session half an hour earlier.
In addition to the four injured players Julian Baumgartlinger, Joel Pojanpalo, Panos Retsos (all in rehab) and Charles Aranguiz (knee), Lars Bender also missed the training session. The Werkself skipper was kicked on the calf in the fourth minute of the match against the champions of Germany and he had to go off 20 minutes later. "Lars is still injured. It's possible he may not be fit for Thursday," said Herrlich after the training session.
The Werkself train in Leverkusen again on Tuesday (closed session) and will have the final pre-match workout at the Ludogorets Arena on Wednesday.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-2 loss against VfL Wolfsburg on the 2nd matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
In the 3-2 defeat at Bundesliga newcomers SV 07 Elversberg, the Werkself found the back of the net in the closing stages and, with a bit of luck, could still have equalised. “Today, our play wasn’t good enough, particularly when it came to the basics,” said head coach Carles Martínez. Like the boss, Ibrahim Maza also wants to learn from the match and look ahead: “Next week, people should be able to see from the very first minute that we want it more than our opponents.” The Werkself review on the Bundesliga opener in 2026/27.
Show more
No points to start the league campaign: Bayer 04 lost 3-2 away to newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg in the first Bundesliga match of the 2026/27 campaign. Two quick-fire goals from Lukas Petkov (8’) and Cole Campbell (10’) gave the hosts an early lead, before David Mokwa scored the Saarland side’s third shortly after half-time (46’). In the closing stages, the Werkself rallied and staged a late comeback with goals from Patrik Schick (77’) and Christian Kofane (90+1’), but the Black and Reds were denied an equaliser.
Show more
The Black and Reds kick off the new Bundesliga campaign today, Saturday 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST), away to newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg – and the Werkself will come up against a familiar face who is currently causing a stir at ‘Elv’. For an affordable and easy journey to the Saarland, the 1,600 travelling fans can still use the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Today’s matchday news..
Show more
The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
Show more
