
The DFB have appointed Tobias Reichel as the referee at the Sportpark Ronhof. The 36-year-old has previously taken charge of two Werkself fixtures this season, the 1-1 draw at Union Berlin on the opening weekend and also the reverse fixture as Leverkusen recorded their highest home win in Bundesliga history by beating Fürth 7-1 at the BayArena in December.
Reichel’s assistants are Benedikt Kempkes and Sascha Thielert. Dr. Matthias Jöllenbeck is the VAR.
For everyone who can’t be cheering on the team from Fürth today, they can tune into the Werkself Radio as usual. It’s available on bayer04.de and in the new Bayer 04 app.
The Bayer 04 fan support has all you need to know on the game at the Sportpark Ronhof. Blocks O (standing) and P (seated) are the areas for away fans and can only be reached via Flurstraße. They cannot be reached from Laubenweg. More info HERE.
If today’s hosts fail to win, their relegation from the Bundesliga will be confirmed. Fürth are currently bottom on 17 points, 11 off the play-off place with four games to go. Greuther may have conceded by far the most goals in the division, but Stefan Leitl’s side have also kept clean sheets in three of their last four matches.
Bayer 04’s 1993 DFB Cup winner Franco Foda turns 56 today. He had moved to Leverkusen from Kaiserslautern three years earlier, going on to make 113 Bundesliga appearances for the Werkself (10 goals, six assists). He was head coach of the Austria national team until recently. Happy birthday!

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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