
Although several players were away on international duty, Heiko Herrlich was able to use the international window to work intensively with the rest of his players: "We had seven of the players who started against FC Schalke in training. So we've worked on sharpening up a few things in the past two weeks – both in defensive and offensive areas."
Confirm positive trend
In assessing the season so far, the coach keeps emphasising the difference between performance and results. The trend is now going in the right direction: "We've played seven games. Although performances in the first three matches were generally very good we only managed to pick up one point. If you look at the last four games you can see we've picked up four points. We need to confirm that development and look to extend it."
'We want to play our game'
In response to a question about Wolfsburg, who have only secured three points since the change of coaches, Herrlich declared: "They have more possession and are more efficient in finishing. Martin Schmidt proved at Mainz that he can successfully lead a team. I'm sure he'll get Wolfsburg back on track as well. But we want to play our game against VfL on Sunday and win."
Jedvaj still in rehab, Aránguiz not match fit
In the quest for a third win at home this season, the coach has a full squad to choose from with the exception of Tin Jedvaj (still in rehab after a hairline shin fracture) and Charles Aránguiz. On Aránguiz, who suffered a calf injury in the away match at FC Schalke 04 but then played in the international against Brazil, the coach responded as follows: "Charly is back. He was checked out by our doctors this morning to see how the injury has developed. Of course, you can still see the bruising from two weeks ago but nothing has been made any worse by playing for Chile." However, he has not fully recovered from the injury and is ruled out at this weekend's game on the advice of the Bayer 04 medical section.
28,000 expected at the BayArena
Eight 28,000 crowd is expected for the fifth Family Day at the BayArena for the match against VfL Wolfsburg. For anybody who does not want to miss the special highlights for Bayer 04 fans young and old: Come and get your tickets on matchday.

Will the Bayer 04 U19s take the next step towards their first appearance in the knockout stage of the UEFA Youth League in the away game at Manchester City? Coach Kevin Brok is well aware of this historic opportunity, but he's not about to start worrying about the maths: "We're not concerned with the question of what might be good enough. We invest everything we can and always aim for the maximum. That's our way." The game on this penultimate Matchday 5 of the league phase takes place on Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 16:00 CET) at the Manchester City Academy Stadium. Werkself TV will be broadcasting the whole match exclusively for Bayer 04 club members live from 15:50 CET....
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€1,000 and food for a good cause: In keeping with the long-standing cooperation between Bayer 04 and the Tafel Leverkusen e.V. food bank, the U19s are also supporting the charitable organisation in the region. In addition to the generous cheque the team were able to donate to an organisation of their choice as a result of their participation in the UEFA Youth League, coach Kevin Brok's lads donated €500 worth of food - financed by their own team kitty. Ferdinand Pohl, Jesper Schlich and Co. also actively helped to stow the food in the Tafel's premises.
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Bayer 04's impressive run of form has not been affected by the international break: The Werkself followed up their 6-0 victory over Heidenheim with a 3-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg that sees them move up into a Champions League spot in the Bundesliga for the first time this season. In the first half, it was an outstandingly cool and consistent performance by the team under head coach Kasper Hjulmand, who earned a special record at Bayer 04 on Saturday. Find out all about the win at the Volkswagen Arena in the Werkself review.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 3-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg on the 11th matchday of the Bundesliga 2025/26...
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Bayer 04 delivered impressive proof of their strength at VfL Wolfsburg: The Black and Reds produced a very efficient performance in the 3-1 win, especially in the first half with some clinical finishing. Jonas Hofmann (9'), Edmond Tapsoba (24') and Malik Tillman (33') scored before the break, before Vavro reduced the deficit for the home side after the restart (57').
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