Roger Schmidt has a full squad to choose from with the exception of the suspended Wendell, currently recovering from a cold, Stefan Kießling, Danny da Costa and the Olympic duo Lars Bender and Julian Brandt. Danny da Costa, who underwent an operation to remove a pin from his shin at the end of July, returned to full training this week and Stefan Kießling is also making progress. Schmidt: “Both have only been able to join in with training on a non-contact basis. We hope the two of them continue to improve.”
Roger Schmidt will probably give the Olympic final a miss as it is being played late on Saturday night. Germany play Brazil at the Maracana on Saturday. Schmidt: “We all hope Julian and Lars have a great final. Rio 2016 has been perfect from a Bayer 04 point of view!”
“We are highly motivated for this match”
The coach sees the competition for places in the team as absolutely positive in terms of improving performance. “No player just wants to be slotted in. Everybody wants to earn a start through good performances and that does us good,” said the coach. It goes without saying the priority for the first competitive of the season is to go through to the next round on the back of a good display. “We are all highly motivated for this match.”
The Werkself will have the backing of 815 Leverkusen fans in Pirmasens. Tickets are available at the ground on Sunday. The Schwadbud in the East Stand at the BayArena will open its doors two hours before kick-off for fans unable to make the journey south.
A record stage for the Bayer 04 Women in Munich – and fans can get behind their team together in front of the TV. For the opening match in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga on Saturday, 6 September (kick-off: 17:45 CEST) the Werkself have organised a watch party at the Schwadbud. While the team led by coach Roberto Pätzold face Bayern Munich in front of 45,000 spectators at the Allianz Arena, supporters can also provide vocal support from back home. There will also be a star prize raffled amongst everyone taking part.
Show moreExclusive insights into the Bayer 04 Women's training camp: Hard training sessions and ice baths, a karaoke team evening with Carlotta Wamser as Eminem, a friendly against VfL Wolfsburg and goalkeeper Charlotte Voll with her VLOG on the team day out to Regensburg. All that, up closer than ever before, is in the training camp recap from Rieden in Upper Bavaria.
Show moreThe first away game in the 2025/26 Bundesliga season: The Werkself travel to Werder Bremen on matchday two on Saturday, 30 August (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). The Bayer 04 Fan Liaison team brings you the latest information on the fixture at the Weserstadion…
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen go into the 2025/26 Bundesliga season with another partner in the Sponsors Club. The previous Executive Box partner pure.energy has extended their commitment and taken the established partnership with the current German runners-up to the next highest level. The newly defined cooperation between Bayer 04 and pure.energy is set to run for two years to 30 June 2027.
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