It is exactly five weeks since the Werkself players not called up to their national teams started a well-deserved summer break after the #Bayer04MexicoTour. Today (Saturday) saw Robert Andrich, Kerem Demirbay and Co. return to the BayArena for the annual performance tests. Today's medical checks will be followed on Sunday by the physical part of the testing.
Whether it's in the dressing room, the Mixed Zone or in the Werkstatt: The Werkself players were beaming when they met up with teammates after a break of more than a month. And head coach Gerardo Seoane, plus his assistant coaches Patrick Schnarwiler and Alberto Encinas on site at the BayArena, chatted with the players to gain their first impressions after the summer break.
The kit worn by Karim Bellarabi and Co. is different from last season as the Black and Red shirts bear the name of the new kit supplier Castore.
The Werkself players taking part in the medical section of the performance tests on Saturday included returning loanees Nadiem Amiri (CFC Genoa), Mitchell Weiser (Werder Bremen) and Ayman Azhil (RKC Waalwijk). The international players, who flew out to join their national teams immediately after the #Bayer04MexicoTour, will start the pre-season at a later point in time.
Bayer 04 host Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the 2025/26 DFB Pokal. The tie will be played on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, at the BayArena with the kick-off at 20:45 CEST. Information on ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 have the chance to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the third time ever and the first in 14 years at Arsenal on Tuesday night (kick-off 21:00 CEST/20:00 local time). To do that, the Werkself not only require a strong performance like in the first leg, but also full concentration until the very last minute, as the Premier League leaders like to score late - as they did at the BayArena last week. Here's the Matchday News.
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A special award for special social commitment. At this year's ceremony for the Sepp Herberger Awards in Wolfsburg on Monday night, the DFB Sepp Herberger Foundation recognised Bayer 04 in the social rehabilitation category. The Bundesliga club received the prize, together with €12,000, for its great service to inmates, particularly in the Wuppertal-Ronsdorf prison.
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Can Bayer 04 pull off a coup in London? Just over a week after the 1-1 draw in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie, the Werkself are now looking to put in a convincing performance away at Arsenal – and get a result to secure a place in the quarter-finals. Ahead of the match on Tuesday, (kick-off: 21:00 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand shared his thoughts on the team’s hunger for success. Exequiel Palacios, meanwhile, spoke about the importance of the fixture and the team’s development over the past few months.
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In their last two matches, they’ve done exactly what 'Laterkusen' did in the 2023/24 double-winning season: late on, but not too late, the Gunners scored crucial goals – first in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 at Bayer 04, then last weekend in the Premier League against Everton. This Tuesday, 17 March (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Arsenal host the Werkself in London. The latest on our opponents.
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