Two VBL clashes are shown live each week on Pro Sieben Maxx. For the Leverkusen duo Kai 'Deto' Wollin and Fabian 'B04_Dubzje' de Cae, it was the first TV matchday in the current season. "The broadcast was brilliantly organised. Of course, it's a bit different being live on television instead of playing at home," said 'Deto' who faced Hertha's 'EliasN97 Nerlich on PlayStation in the first individual match.
Hertha mainly restricted themselves to defensive work and they took the lead through an unfortunate situation from the perspective of the Bayer 04 player. 'Deto' continued to battle and levelled at 1-1 on 70 minutes – but that was it. The draw in the first game of the night meant that the Black and Reds had no chance of being top at Christmas. But second spot was within reach.
Wollin's partner, Fabian 'B04_Dubzje' de Cae, has been extremely successful up-to-date. After the outstanding Bremen player Michael 'Megabit' Bittner, the Bayer 04 eSports player has the most wins this season – and another came against the Old Lady from the capital (victory number 14). 'B04_Dubzje' gave his opposite number Leon 'HBSC Blackarrow' Aussieker no chance on Xbox.
After 45 minutes score was already 4-0 and the scoreboard showed 4-1 in the end – and second place was secured. "I dominated the game over 90 minutes. I think, the first half was my best to date in the VBL," said de Cae who was more than happy ahead of the doubles match.
And it was "an evenly balanced clash", said 'Deto' ahead of the last match of the evening. The final score of 1-1 was a fair result and it led the former world champion to draw the following conclusion: "We've picked up five points and won the matchday, so we can be happy with that. We'll try to play as well in the second half of the season and see what happens in the end."
In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
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Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
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Rieden reloaded: Just like last year, the Bayer 04 Women’s team are spending their summer training camp in this idyllic corner of Bavaria. From this Sunday, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team will be based in Rieden in the Upper Palatinate for a week.
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Following the summer break, most of the players are back in Leverkusen. While two Bayer 04 first-team players are still in action at the World Cup, the players present officially kicked off the new season with fitness assessments. At the Werkstatt, the Bayer 04 rehabilitation and training centre, Robert Andrich, Edmond Tapsoba and the rest of the squad worked up quite a sweat in the sweltering summer heat. New signings Afonso Moreira and Kennet Eichhorn also successfully completed the day’s sessions alongside their new team-mates.
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The Werkself return tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July (from 11:00 CEST at the BayArena; live stream on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and YouTube), with new head coach Carles Martínez leading his first training session as part of the Bayer 04 set-up. His coaching team comprises a mix of new and long-standing colleagues.
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