Bayer 04 will definitely be without the ever-present Wendell: The 24-year-old Brazilian has played in all fourteen competitive matches of the season so far and, with the exception of goalkeeper Bernd Leno, has played the most minutes for the Werkself. In the 2-2 draw against RB Leipzig, the full-back picked up a fifth yellow card and will now serve a one-match ban; as will Benny Henrichs after his red card. That means both will be missing from the defensive line-up against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Sven Bender, still suffering pain from a double rib fracture in the game against Augsburg, completed three out of four training sessions this week with the Tuesday afternoon spent working on his own at the BayArena. There will be a late fitness test on the 28-year-old ahead of the game against the team in seventh place. "I'm getting better. But we have to see day by day whether it's enough for Saturday," said Bender.
Panos Retsos is also hopeful. After the Greek broke off training on Monday after feeling unwell, the medical advice following an examination was to rest in bed but the 19-year-old defensive all-rounder was back in full training with his team-mates on Wednesday morning. "I feel much better and I think I'll be one hundred per cent fit for Saturday. the decision is down to the coach," declared Retsos knowing that Heiko Herrlich has two other defenders as options in André Ramalho and Tin Jedvaj.
Vladlen Yurchenko was the only one missing from the training ground on Wednesday. The Ukrainian midfielder suffered a bruised foot in training on Monday and has trained on his own for the past two days.
Herrlich will be working with his team behind closed doors for the next two days to fine tune his side for the match against Eintracht. Following the final pre-match training session, the Werkself squad will head for the team hotel in Frankfurt early on Friday evening.
The international break produced a full range of emotions for Bayer 04’s women. While four Leverkusen players were in play-off action to try and reach the World Cup, including two important goals, there were others in friendly action. Here’s a round-up of all the results…
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The NB Vintage Collection is here and available now! Members enjoy an exclusive priority purchase period (online shop only). Non-members will then be able to purchase items from Saturday 17 October (10:00 CEST). Sales will also begin at the same time at the Bayer 04 Fanwelt.
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Intercultural exchange: a youth team from Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso, visited Leverkusen in the last few days. The players and staff from AD DUHA FC enjoyed a varied programme including training, a friendly - and a very special experience on Saturday afternoon.
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There will be a change at the top of the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH shareholder committee at the end of the year, with Werner Wenning stepping down from the Bundesliga club's control committee on 31 December 2026. Wolfgang Nickl, who has been part of the committee since March of this year, will take over the chairmanship on 1 January 2027.
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