For five players, the training camp in Sosnowitz ended early following the morning session on Sunday. Goalkeeper Anne Moll, Paulina Bartz, Delice Boboy, Estrella Merino Gonzalez and Julia Mickenhagen have been given an extra day off due to their participation in the U19 EURO and therefore flew back to Germany before the rest of the team. Bartz had watched the training sessions as well as the 5-1 friendly win against Czarni Sosnowiec from the sidelines due to illness.
Like on Saturday, Kristin Kögel, Sofia Cava Marin and Selina Ostermeier were absent with knocks. Loreen Bender, Janou Levels, Ida Daedelow and academy goalkeeper Louisa Remien also sat out team training as a precaution. In contrast, centre-back Melissa Friedrich, who returned to full training the previous day following her ankle ligament tear, joined in again.
After sprints and athletic exercises to start with, the rest of the group worked on passing and match stamina. Following seven previous sessions on the pitch since the start of the camp, the girls summoned all their reserves for the final game in bright sunshine.
Regeneration was the focus of the final afternoon in Katowice. In the fitness room of the Hotel Monopol, the Bayer 04 women completed a one-hour yoga session to relax. For the rest of the day, everyone had the opportunity to explore the pretty old town of Katowice at their leisure.
After the final training session on Monday morning and lunch at the hotel, the Werkself will fly back to Düsseldorf. They then have two days off, before training resumes at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre on Thursday. Until the start of competitive action, there are three more friendlies against international opponents: at RSC Anderlecht on 11 August (kick-off 14:00 CEST), at Standard Liège on 17 August (14:30 CEST) and against Fortuna Sittard on 23 August (14:00 CEST).
The new Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga season kicks off on 31 August (14:00 CEST) with the game at SC Freiburg, followed a week later by the second round of the DFB Cup. The full summer schedule and key dates for the women's team can be found HERE.
Bosnia U19 international Kerim Alajbegovic is moving from Bayer 04 Leverkusen's youth set-up to Red Bull Salzburg. The talented attacking midfielder has signed a long-term contract with the Austrian club. At the same time, the works club secured a buy-back option for the 17-year-old, who was one of the mainstays of the Leverkusen U19s.
Show moreThe Werkself are away to Premier League club Chelsea in the final pre-season friendly. The game against the current holders of the UEFA Conference League is on Friday, 8 August at Stamford Bridge with the kick-off at 20:00 CEST. Read on for information on ticket sales.
Show moreThe Werkself are away to Dutch top-flight club Fortuna Sittard in the third pre-season friendly. The match is on Friday, 1 August at the Fortuna Sittard stadium with the kick-off at 19:00 CEST. Read on for information on ticket sales.
Show moreThe Werkself are away to VfL Bochum in the second pre-season friendly. The match is on Sunday, 27 July at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion with the kick-off at 18:00 CEST. Read on for the latest information on ticket sales.
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