After Euro 2024 in Germany, the national coach Julian Nagelsmann has rejigged his squad following the international retirement of Toni Kroos, Thomas Müller, Manuel Neuer and Ilkay Gündogan. In addition to several new young players the squad includes the Werkself trio of Jonathan Tah, Robert Andrich and Florian Wirtz. The three Bayer 04 players were all in the squad for the Euros in Germany.
Nagelsmann and the Germany team now have their first matches in the UEFA Nations League. Germany play Hungary and the Netherlands in their group (see below for details). The second match against the Oranje sees the Werkself trio of Tah and Co. go face-to-face with Bayer 04 teammate Jeremie Frimpong who has been called up to the Netherlands squad by coach Ronald Koeman. For Frimpong the second match is against the fourth team in the group, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Other Werkself players are involved in the first games in the Nations League 2024/25. Granit Xhaka, captain and record appearance maker for Switzerland starts against Denmark and that is followed by a meeting with the European champions Spain, where he'll come up against club colleagues Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix Garcia, who are both in La Roja's squad. Spain play Serbia in their other fixture.
The Czech duo of Patrik Schick and Matej Kovar play Georgia and Ukraine, while Lukas Hradecky's Finland meet Greece and EURO runners-up England.
Three Werkself players are involved in qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Bayer 04 defender Edmond Tapsoba has been called up to the Burkina Faso squad for the games against Senegal and Malawi. Victor Boniface is in the Nigeria squad set to play Benin and Ruanda, while Amine Adli and Morocco face Gabon and Lesotho.
Meanwhile, defender Piero Hincapie has been called up by Ecuador for their next two matches in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Fifth-placed Ecuador meet Brazil and then Peru.
INTERNATIONAL CALL-UPS AT A GLANCE
Jonathan Tah, Robert Andrich and Florian Wirtz (Germany)
07.09: Germany vs Hungary (UEFA Nations League)
10.09: Netherlands vs Germany (UEFA Nations League)
Jeremie Frimpong (Netherlands)
07.09: Netherlands vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (UEFA Nations League)
10.09: Netherlands vs Germany (UEFA Nations League)
Granit Xhaka (Switzerland)
05.09: Denmark vs Switzerland (UEFA Nations League)
08.09: Switzerland vs Spain (UEFA Nations League)
Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix Garcia (Spain)
05.09: Serbia vs Spain (UEFA Nations League)
08.09: Switzerland vs Spain (UEFA Nations League)
Lukas Hradecky (Finland)
07.09: Greece vs Finland (UEFA Nations League)
10.09: England vs Finland (UEFA Nations League)
Patrik Schick and Matej Kovar (Czechia)
07.09: Georgia vs Czechia (UEFA Nations League)
10.09: Czechia vs Ukraine (UEFA Nations League)
Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso)
06.09: Senegal vs Burkina Faso (AFCON qualifying)
10.09: Burkina Faso vs Malawi (AFCON qualifying)
Amine Adli (Morocco)
06.09: Morocco vs Gabon (AFCON qualifying)
09.09: Lesotho - Marokko (AFCON qualifying)
Victor Boniface (Nigeria)
07.09: Nigeria vs Benin (AFCON qualifying)
10.09: Ruanda vs Nigeria (AFCON qualifying)
Piero Hincapie (Ecuador)
07.09: Brazil vs Ecuador (World Cup qualifying)
10.09: Ecuador vs Peru (World Cup qualifying)
Jeanuel Belocian (France U21)
06.09: France vs Slovenia (U21 EURO qualifying)
10.09: France vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (U21 EURO qualifying)
Two keepers, lots of questions: Werkself captain Lukas Hradecky and U19 goalkeeper Jesper Schlich visited the BarmeniaGothaer children’s press conference in partnership with the Bayer 04 Lions Club on Wednesday afternoon. The duo faced interesting and at times unusual questions from around 50 inquisitive young journalists in the press conference room at the BayArena.
Show moreA large number of sporting directors and officials from big clubs across Europe came to the BayArena on Tuesday for the second seminar in the UEFA Sporting Director Programme (SDP) in cooperation with the ECA.
Show moreFull-back Janou Levels will leave Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the end of the season. The 24-year-old has activated her release clause and she will join Bundesliga rivals VfL Wolfsburg. She has signed a three-year contract.
Show moreAfter returning from Hamburg and a day off on Easter Monday, the Werkself players were back on the training ground at the BayArena on Tuesday morning. Following the session, Amine Adli was very positive in a media interview about the remaining four matches including the forthcoming home game against FC Augsburg (Saturday, 26 April, 15:30 CEST): "We will give our all to end the season as well as we can!"
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