After the squad trained on Monday afternoon, performance tests were on the agenda on Tuesday. It could be that a number of players were thinking of Thursday's friendly against MSV Duisburg. The game against the second division side is of increased relevance to Werkself players who have not played much recently according to head coach Heiko Herrlich.
For example that applies to Tin Jedvaj: The 21-year-old suffered a hairline shin fracture in training at the beginning of July. Even though the defender has been back in full training for several days he is still not up to speed with his team-mates due to missing the pre-season. "Tin is on the right track," said Herrlich who indicated the defender is likely to start against the Zebras.
Praise for Kiessling
Stefan Kießling will also be in the starting eleven on Thursday. In addition, "he should decide for himself how long he's on the pitch," declared Herrlich. "Stefan has trained well. Above all, his way of motivating and involving younger players impresses me." Herrlich made it clear that the situation for the club legend is not easy and that makes his exemplary performances in training even more impressive.
In addition to Jedvaj and Kießling, players like Vladlen Yurchenko, André Ramalho and Marlon Frey should also get time on the pitch. That gives them the opportunity to stake a claim for further appearances. In this respect, Heiko Herrlich places great value on a "winning mentality." He identified that in the last friendly against Fortuna Köln (4-0) but it was absent for most of the 2-1 defeat against VFL Bochum at the end of August as in other pre-season games. "I want to win every game. And the players should see it the same way," explained the Bayer 04 head coach.
Setback for Henrichs
Jonathan Tah (back problems) and Benjamin Henrichs will not be playing on Thursday. There were hopes at the weekend that the full-back would recover from his illness over the course of the week and then join the Germany U21 squad but the situation has now taken a turn for the worse. The 20-year-old is still struggling with a nasal infection and the doctors have banned him from any sporting activity until the end of the week. Heiko Herrlich is not expecting either of the players to return before the middle of next week.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen continue the journey with Business Club partners Conrad Conrad Profistore Hürth with a 12-month contract extension to the end of the current 2024/24 season. The scope of the partnership has also been extended. The Conrad Profistore in Hürth has been working with the champions of Germany and DFB Pokal winners since January 2024.
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The sports tribunal of the German Football Association (DFB) has rejected Bayer 04's appeal against a replay of the Women's Bundesliga match at SC Freiburg (3-2). That's the outcome of a hearing at the DFB Campus in Frankfurt on Tuesday. Originally, SC had lodged an appeal against the match result.
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The Werkself have begun preparations for the home match against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday 19 October (15:30 CEST). Following a behind-closed-doors session at the start of the week, Xabi Alonso and his team worked in front of fans on Tuesday.
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Werkself players Nordi Mukiele and Niklas Lomb attended the Bayer 04 Football School on Tuesday afternoon. In the first week of the autumn half-term, the new signing and the long-serving goalkeeper answered numerous questions from over 100 young footballers at the kids press conference. After the round of questions, there was of course a group photo as well as an autograph session, where the duo didn't leave a single kit or boot unsigned.
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The Werkself visit VfL Bochum on Bundesliga Matchday 10. The game kicks off at 15:30 CET at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion on Saturday 9 November. Details on how to get tickets.
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