After breakfast and a morning rest, head coach Peter Bosz led his players on a walk along the beach promenade in Tel Aviv in sunshine and temperatures over 20 degrees at lunchtime. Several Werkself players took the opportunity to take snapshots of the Mediterranean and the long beach.
On Thursday evening (kick-off: 18.55 CET) in Petach Tikwa, a few kilometres east of Tel Aviv, Lukas Hradecky and Co. have a Europa League away game at Hapoel Beer Sheva. It is also the first competitive match for the Werkself on Israeli soil.
As usual, Cedric Pick and Niko Hartmann will guide Bayer 04 fans through this encounter with their expertise and passion for the Black and Reds. Werks11 Radio starts broadcasting half an hour before kick-off with the duo reporting live from the BayArena. Log on to bayer04.de from 18.25 CET or via the Bayer 04 app.
The game against Be’er Sheva will also be shown on the streaming service DAZN. Lukas Schönmüller is the commentator and the former second division player Sebastian Kneißl is the pundit.
The Werkself completed their final pre-match training session on Wednesday evening following the press conference with Peter Bosz and Nadiem Amiri at the Ha Moshava Stadium. Bayer04.de brings you images from the floodlit session:
As announced by Chelsea on Wednesday, Kai Havertz has tested positive for coronavirus. The Bayer 04 homegrown talent is currently self-isolating according to the top English club and was therefore unable to play in Wednesday night’s 3-0 home win against Stade Rennes in the Champions League.
Havertz signed for the Premier League club in the summer after ten years at Bayer Leverkusen where, according to sporting managing director Rudi Völler, he developed into a “world class” player. Bayer 04 say: Get well soon, Kai!
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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