As large areas of the training ground were frozen due to ground frost, the majority of the session was moved to the neighbouring Ulrich Haberland Stadium. With supporters looking on, the Werkself appeared highly motivated in spite of the freezing temperatures. Split up into a total of six teams, two at a time played each other on a small pitch while the other groups were able to take a quick break. And there were lots of sprints, lots of challenges, lots of goals – for both goalkeepers and outfield players- it was a question of getting stuck in to be in the right mood for the important clash with sixth-placed Wolfsburg. "We can all see the table and I'd be lying if I said the situation is easy. But we also know we can move up the table quickly," said Sven Bender before adding: "But we also need to win the games to do that. I'm sure the results will come if we can build on our performance on Saturday."
In the best case scenario, that will happen against Wolfsburg on Saturday. The team from Lower Saxony are just four points ahead of the Werkself in a Europa League spot. In spite of the situation, Peter Bosz was not keen to describe the fixture as a crucial match on Tuesday: "All games in the second half of the season are important – and a lot can happen in the remaining 15 matches." He remains very impressed with the training sessions. The players are increasingly taking on board his ideas. "I had a good feeling after the game against Gladbach. I've had another look at the match and have to say that our performance was even better than I thought on Saturday," said the 55-year-old. Nevertheless, there is plenty still to do.
Bosz is encouraged with the fitness of the Werkself squad. "We made an incredible number of short sprints against Gladbach and I've never seen that in a team before. That also shows the players understand what we want and that they all have the right mentality for the job at hand. That is a really important insight," said the Dutchman.
There is no full training session on Wednesday with Thursday and Friday dedicated to preparations for Saturday's match that take place behind closed doors.
Bayern Munich come to the BayArena this Saturday with an 11-point lead in the Bundesliga as they look to take a step closer to the title. As imperious as they may seem, a weakness has emerged of late that the Werkself proved they can exploit in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Champions League. Leverkusen are also looking to make it four Bundesliga home games unbeaten against the Bavarians. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the 15:30 CET kick-off in our matchday news.
Show more
Another home game, another top opponent - another marker? Three days after their convincing performance in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg, Bayer 04 continue their Bundesliga campaign with an equally high-calibre fixture. Matchday 26 sees league leaders Bayern Munich visit the sold-out BayArena. Ahead of the clash, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about a comparison between Arsenal and the Bavarians, Bayern's high-scoring performance in Europe's premier club competition and a return to the squad for one Werkself player.
Show more
High spirits and previously untold stories: Around 100 Bayer 04 fans packed the Schwadbud fan pub in the east stand of the BayArena on Thursday evening to be there in person for the first instalment of the new series of events entitled “Rudi lädt ein” (Rudi invites you). They listened intently as long-serving Werkself players Gonzalo Castro and Stefan Kießling chatted with record appearance-maker Rüdiger Vollborn and presenter and stadium announcer Tobias Ufer about their many years together at the club, shared amusing anecdotes and revealed dressing room secrets. Anyone who missed the premiere can already look forward to the second instalment – on 12 May, Rudi will be testing the expert knowledge of Bayer 04 fans during a quiz night.
Show more
The Bundesliga home game against VfL Wolfsburg in the first half of the season was one of those classic ‘days to forget’ for Bayer 04 Women. It started with goalkeeper Charlotte Voll being shown a red card in the first minute of the game, and following a further sending-off, coach Roberto Pätzold's 9-women side ended up losing 5-1 to last season's runners-up. At 18.30 CET on Sunday, they'll have the chance to exact revenge at the AOK Stadium - and pick up valuable points in the race for third place.
Show more
They're well on their way to becoming German champions for the 35th time and once again proved their incredible class in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. This Saturday, 14 March (kick-off: 15.30 CET), Bayern Munich will be the visitors to the BayArena. It'll be a meeting of the two Bundesliga teams with the most dominant styles of play. A look at our opponents shows the visitors from the Bavarian capital have many strengths - but are also vulnerable.
Show more
