"The change of coaches at Werder Bremen has brought a new energy to the team and the club. It will be a tough task to beat this team after the international break," declared Bayer 04 head coach Roger Schmidt at the pre-match press conference in the media centre at the BayArena, as ever broadcast live at www.bayer04.de and on Facebook.
It remains to be seen whether the coach will have all his players available with the obvious exception of long-term injuries Karim Bellarabi, Vladlen Yurchenko and Joel Pohjanpalo. It appears Julian Baumgartlinger and Aleksandar Dragovic have recovered from knocks picked up playing for Austria. "Both were able to train normally without any major problems. I'm assuming they will be available for Saturday,"
The boss was unable to provide a final update on the trio of Wendell, Charles Aranguiz and Robbie Kruse but all the other internationals have returned to Leverkusen safe and sound. "Wendell, Charles and Robbie are only returning today or tomorrow so will wait to speak to them to see what condition they're in." Chicharito, who unusually was not picked by the Mexico coach this week, had the chance to use the time on rest and recovery as he finally gets over his broken hand.
"Chicharito is in good shape"
The striker has certainly been working hard in training after returning from injury. "Chicharito returned in positive mood and full of energy. He has – like the whole squad – completed a very intense week of training. We are in good shape," declared a pleased Roger Schmidt happy with his group in training. The head coach is also clear what he wants for Saturday night: "The home win against a top team like Borussia Dortmund ahead of the international break was important and now it’s equally important to carry on in Bremen and further solidify our position with an away win. With the experience gained in the last few games we'll give our all."
The Werkself kicked off the final international break of the current season on Monday morning with the first of three open training sessions this week. While eleven Bayer 04 players will be away on international duty in the coming days, the other players will be working together in Leverkusen. The next challenge in the Bundesliga awaits on Saturday, 4 April (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) with the home game against VfL Wolfsburg.
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Due to maintenance work, the online shop and other digital services from Bayer 04 Leverkusen will be temporarily restricted or unavailable from Monday, 23 March (18:00 CET) to Thursday, 26 March. Bayer 04 will provide immediate updates via the club's official channels if the work is completed earlier than planned. The overview.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-0 win against FC Carl Zeiss Jena on the 21th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Thanks to a masterstroke from Katharina Piljic, the Werkself secured their eleventh win of the season in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga. On Sunday evening, coach Roberto Pätzold's team beat FC Carl Zeiss Jena 1-0. Midfielder Piljic scored the winning goal with a volley into the corner from the edge of the box (19’) in front of 633 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium - and ensured that Leverkusen moved up to fifth place in the table for at least one night with 34 points.
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Bayer 04 will have to make do without forward Martin Terrier in the next few weeks. The Frenchman sustained a muscle injury in his right hamstring in Saturday's 3-3 draw at Heidenheim in the Bundesliga.
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