Bayer Leverkusen head to England for friendlies against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest without Robert Andrich and Montrell Culbreath. Culbreath has already been ruled out of the Bundesliga opener against Elversberg, while Andrich will stay in Germany to train individually as his team-mates travel.
Germany training plan for Andrich
The update is straightforward but unwelcome for Leverkusen. Andrich has avoided serious injury, but the club will keep him away from the England trip and work with him on an individual programme instead.
He has also been active enough to make the interruption noticeable. Andrich has five recent competitive matches in the data window, and his average rating across those five is 6.84. That suggests he was in a steady run of involvement before the setback.
Culbreath out for the opener
Culbreath's situation is more immediate because the Bundesliga opener is already off the table. He will not be available for the match against Elversberg, which leaves Leverkusen with a pre-season schedule that has already been altered before a ball is kicked in England.
There is a small bit of good news in the broader picture. Leverkusen's recent league form reads WDLWW, so the squad is still carrying some momentum into the new campaign. But this trip was supposed to sharpen the team ahead of Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, and instead it begins with two absences that the club did not want.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
