On training ground number one at the BayArena, Alonso greeted the Werkself squad plus eight outfield players and three goalkeepers from the youth teams. The Spanish head coach had to manage without the players recently away on international duty in Amine Adli, Sardar Azmoun, Adam Hlozek, Lukas Hradecky, Exequiel Palacios, Patrick Pentz, Edmond Tapsoba and Florian Wirtz as well as the two new signings Jonas Hofmann and Granit Xhaka.
"Jonas and Granit have a huge amount of experience and are important components we need for our team," said sporting managing director Simon Rolfes in response to a question after training about the two recently signed midfielders.
The injured players Patrik Schick, Robert Andrich, Piero Hincapie and goalkeeper Niklas Lomb also missed the opening session (see Werkself injury update). Odilon Kossounou, who missed the run-in at the end of last season with a thigh injury, did return for the start of preseason to complete parts of full training.
The action on the pitch started at 10.00 CEST. The 90-minute session started with a warm-up routine followed by passing practice. Several hundred fans came, including the children at the Bayer 04 Soccer School, to watch the Leverkusen players at their first session of the new season. The highlight came after training session: selfies and group photos with the players plus autographs on shirts, rucksacks, trousers and elsewhere.
Anybody attending tomorrow's open training session on Wednesday 12 July has the opportunity to secure the new Bayer 04 home shirt for the coming season. This is available from 10.00 CEST from the fan shop at the BayArena and following training Bayer 04 fans can have their new shirts signed by Werkself players.
The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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Bayer 04 have ended Artem Stepanov’s loan deal at Nürnberg and agreed a new loan to Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Ukrainian striker did not play as much as hoped for at the Bundesliga 2 club and will now continue his development in the Eredivisie for the rest of 2025/26.
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After back-to-back wins at home, Bayer 04 are now out for their first away win of 2026 as they visit Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday (15:30 CET). Ahead of the Matchday 20 fixture in the Bundesliga, Kasper Hjulmand spoke about renewed confidence, Frankfurt’s recent issues and Patrik Schick’s form so far this year.
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Eintracht Frankfurt are yet to win a game in 2026 and have managed only one victory in their last 12 competitive fixtures. Having already been eliminated from the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League, the Eagles are now focusing solely on the Bundesliga as they seek to get their season back on track with the visit of the Werkself on Saturday afternoon. Here’s the lowdown on our next opponents…
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