There were 16 outfield players and three goalkeepers on the training ground. Missing were the four players at the World Cup, Jeremie Frimpong, Exequiel Palacios, Piero Hincapie and Sardar Azmoun plus Patrik Schick who trained on his own. Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Joshua Eze were also sidelined due to muscle problems, Callum Hudson-Odoi was away for private reasons.
The one-hour session in the morning primarily focused on passing drills. That was followed in the afternoon by a second stamina and fitness session at the BayArena with Florian Wirtz and Co. also putting in a decent shift.
Xabi Alonso will be leading his players in the next session on the training ground tomorrow (Saturday 3 December). It starts at 11.00 CET in the shadow of the BayArena. Lukas Hradecky and Co. will then be playing host to a visit: 14 children, in association with UNICEF, will have the opportunity to get hold of autographs and take lots of photos with the Werkself players. The skipper Lukas Hradecky and Joshua Eze will also be at the Löwenclub Christmas party on Sunday 4 December.
Bayer 04 have signed left-back Carolin Simon from champions Bayern Munich for the coming season. The 33-year-old former Germany international, who played for Leverkusen from 2013 to 2016, has signed a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Women have strengthened for the coming season with the signing of Lobke Loone. The 23-year-old Dutch striker joins from Utrecht on a contract until 30 June 2028.
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The Werkself returned from the near one-month break in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga with a convincing victory at home. Roberto Pätzold's side beat SC Freiburg 4-1 on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Katharina Piljic, Estrella Merino Gonzalez, Cornelia Kramer and Carlotta Wamser ensuring a 13th win of the season at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. The Black and Reds, who are now on 40 points, move up to fourth place at least overnight.
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The fifth consecutive derby win over 1. FC Köln was a hugely significant one in terms of the battle for the UEFA Champions League places. Goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, speaking for the whole team, dedicated the 2-1 victory in the cathedral city to the travelling support: "I'm especially happy about this victory for our fans!" Get the rest of the reaction from those involved and the media, as well as some impressive stats on two-goal hero Patrik Schick and a look at the all-time Bundesliga table, in the Werkself Review.
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