Bender back in Bayer training
Lars Bender has returned to full training with Bayer 04 Leverkusen, handing Die Werkself a timely boost ahead of Saturday's trip to Eintracht Frankfurt.
A niggling ankle injury has prevented the midfielder from featuring in the Bundesliga since a 1-1 draw with FC Augsburg on Matchday 8, but he took part in full first-team training on Wednesday afternoon, giving Bayer supporters hope of seeing him in action at the Commerzbank-Arena this weekend.
"That was alright today," he said after the training session. "There's a real chance that I'll be in the squad for the Frankfurt game."
Karim Bellarabi is also expected to return to training today after a thigh knock.