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7.01.2025Veterans

Debut for Lars Bender: Veterans in action twice at start of the year

The Bayer 04 Veterans team kick-off 2025 with two top-class tournaments. First, the team are set to take part in the Matthäi Cup in Frankfurt and then it's off to Regensburg for the ‘Bananenflanker-Budenzauber’, South Germany's biggest indoor tournament for veterans teams. Bayer 04 honorary captain Lars Bender is set to make his debut for the Leverkusen Veterans.
Lars Bender

The Veterans will be in action on 8 January from 18.00 CET in the Matthäi Cup in Frankfurt. In the second year of the indoor tournament started in 2024, the Black and Reds face VfB Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt in Group A. Werder Bremen, Mainz 05 and Kickers Offenbach are in Group B. Within the groups, each team plays each other with the first two teams going through to the semi-finals. The matches will be played at the Süwag Energie Arena in Frankfurt and the tournament will be broadcast live on DF 1.

The Bayer 04 squad in Frankfurt: Dominik Poremba and Daniel Galic (both goalkeepers), Stefan Kießling, Gonzalo Castro, Assimiou Toure, Carsten Baumann, Philipp Wollscheid, Thorsten Judt, Albert Bunjaku, Anel Dzaka, Mario Schwarz, Ioannis Masmanidis, Sascha Jagusch, Giuseppe Spitali and Aziz Bouhaddouz

with Lars BEnder in Regensburg

The Leverkusen Veterans will then play in the Bananenflanker-Budenzauber tournament in Regensburg on 11 January. In South Germany's biggest indoor tournament for veterans teams, Bayer 04 will play FC Nürnberg (tournament winners in 2024), TSV 1860 Munich (runners-up in 2024), SpVgg Greuther Fürth, SSV Jahn Regensburg, SpVgg Unterhaching, the Bananenflanker Legends and the Wintec Autoglas & Balu4Kids Allstars. Bayer 04 honorary captain Lars Bender will be in the Leverkusen Veterans squad for the first time. The tournament will be broadcast HERE as a live stream.

The Bayer 04 squad in Regensburg: Dominik Poremba and Daniel Galic (both goalkeepers), Lars Bender, Jörg Reeb, Mike Rietpietsch, Assimiou Toure, Carsten Baumann, Thorsten Judt, Anel Dzaka, Mario Schwarz, Ioannis Masmanidis, Giuseppe Spitali, Sahin Sezer, Sebastian Hirsch

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