Baumgartlinger came onto the pitch 20 minutes after his team-mates to work with the ball for the first time since his knee injury in the DFB Cup game against Pforzheim. "He's making great progress in his recovery. I hope Julian will be available again after the international break," said Heiko Herrlich. Retsos followed after the official training session was over.
The day after the 2-1 victory in the derby in Düsseldorf, head coach Heiko Herrlich sent the starting eleven on a regenerative bike ride along the Dhünn under the eyes of fitness coach Schahriar Bigdeli – accordingly, the training group consisted of just seven outfield players (Lucas Alario, Jakub Bednarczyk, Karim Bellarabi, Julian Brandt, Aleksandar Dragovic, Paulinho and Sam Schreck) plus three goalkeepers (Ramazan Özcan, Thorsten Kirschbaum, Tomasz Kusz).
Only Mitchell Weiser had a lighter session on Thursday. "Mitchell had slight problems with his groin before yesterday's game and they hadn't got better by today," said Herrlich, who is hoping the 24-year-old will be fit for the forthcoming game against Borussia Dortmund and that no more of his players get injured giving the current personnel situation.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-3 loss against Werder Bremen on the 26th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer have shown great commitment to the community as the sale of custom-designed T-shirts for charity in the Fanwelt as part of the “BarmeniaGothaer Brings Joy campaign raised a good €5,000. Bayer 04 matched this sum with an equal contribution. As a result, a total of €10,000 was presented to Edmond Tapsoba for his foundation ahead of the home match against Hamburg. The foundation supports people facing challenging daily circumstances in his home country of Burkina Faso.
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Bayer 04 host Hamburg at the BayArena for the first time since September 2017 on the final day of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30 CEST). HSV are safe in their first campaign back in the top flight after back-to-back wins, but Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 19 games against promoted teams as they go for the victory they need to have a chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. There’s also heavy discounts on food and drinks at the BayArena. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 fixture in our matchday news.
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As well as previously confirmed departures, Bayer 04 Women will also say goodbye to Vanessa Haim and Shen Menglu before Sunday’s final game of the season at home to Werder Bremen as the pair leave Leverkusen upon the expiration of their contracts.
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The climax to a long season, emotional farewells and hopes of a major triumph: Bayer 04 Women face a thrilling final matchday in the Bundesliga. In the clash against SV Werder Bremen on Sunday, 17 May (kick-off: 14:00 CEST) at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, the Werkself could make history and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history – provided rivals Eintracht Frankfurt lose at home to 1. FC Union Berlin at the same time. Even setting aside the sporting context, it's set to be a special afternoon.
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