Whenever Joel Pohjanpalo is on the ball. The nippy Finn with a hard shot has an uncanny resemblance to a well-known character from the Elyas M'Barek film “Fack ju Göthe” but the new nickname “Danger” suits him for another reason. Whenever Pohjanpalo pops up in the box danger isn’t far away.
Messi double
From the practice match in the morning. A great move ended with the Finland international, known as the “Iceman” in Düsseldorf, finishing as cool as a cucumber and the spectators in the stand had a cause to celebrate: “Danger” was heard again. Before that they called out “Messi,Messi” at Kevin Kampl. The superstar at Barcelona has recently dyed his hair blond and now bears a certain similarity that can’t be denied.
Cooling off in the lake
The training ground was a hive of activity: The two sessions on the day before the friendly against Fiorentina were incredibly busy. Fitness drills including sprints were on the training agenda. The Werkself produced some attractive moves and there was no shortage of sweat – with temperatures of 30 degrees in the shade. After a total of three hours training the players earned a deserved opportunity to cool off in Lake Zell in the afternoon.
Kießling trains on his own
Stefan Kießling is currently unable to take part in full training but the Werkself goalgetter is busy working on his comeback in SalzburgerLand. On Wednesday he completed a tailored workout on the training ground to applause from the fans – next to his team-mates. And they are right behind Stefan. “We all hope Kieß will soon be back,” said strike partner Chicharito at a press conference in the lunch break.
Hakan v. Bernd
Hakan Calhanoglu just can’t stop. After nearly every training session the Turkey international grabs a few balls to perfect his already outstanding technique at free kicks. Bernd Leno was in goal this time and many of the fans stayed behind to watch the duel between the two maestros. Niklas Lomb took over in nets and, like Calhanoglu, wore a small camera to record a video.
VIPs galore
Marcel Koller called in at the team hotel Tauern Spa. The Austria coach and former manager at FC Köln and VfL Bochum used the opportunity to catch up with Austria internationals Ramazan Öczan and Julian Baumgartlinger. Koller was not the only esteemed guest at the training camp: In addition to coaches Frank Kramer and Ralf Loose Markus Schupp and the former top scorer in the second division Tomislav Maric also popped in. Schupp was most recently sporting director at Kaiserslautern, Maric coach with Slovakia first division club Dunajska Streda.
Friendly live on Facebook
The Werkself face Fiorentina in the next friendly on Thursday night. The whole match at the Alois Latini Stadium will be broadcast live from 18.00 CET on Sport1 and the Bayer 04 Facebook site. It will be available there on demand after the match.
#B04inAustria – ‘Lenomenal’ videos
It is always worth having a look at Facebook. There is something for every Werkself fan deep into the night with information and reports on #Bayer04. One highlight is the Snapchat channel bayer04snaps, where Bernd Leno presents his personal FIFA ultimate team. You can also keep up-to-date on Twitter and Instagram under the hashtag #B04inAustria.
After Jens Nowotny was officially named a Bayer 04 honorary captain last weekend, the long-standing Werkself player is part of the Leverkusen delegation on the trophy tour to New York City next week from 11 to 14 September. In an interview with bayer04.de, the 50-year-old talked about his expectations ahead of the trip to the metropolis on the East Coast of the USA.
Show moreThe German Football League (DFL) has confirmed the dates and kick-off times for matchdays 6 to 12 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. Full details of the Bayer 04 fixtures.
Show moreMarkus Rehm, a long jumper at TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, won the gold medal for the fourth time in succession at the Paralympics on Wednesday.
Show moreThe fixture details for the second round of the DFB Pokal 2024/25 have been confirmed. The home tie for Bayer 04 against second division SV 07 Elversberg is on Tuesday, 29 October with the kick off at 18.00 CET (live on Sky). That was announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday.
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