"The U19s are of central importance for us in the transition from junior football to the first team squad. That's why we looked for a coach who has demonstrated his quality in both areas. In addition, he should share our approach to football: We want to play active and attractive football with our teams. Sven Hübscher meets all these requirements," explained Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes.
For Thomas Eichin, director of the youth section, the coach perfectly meets the job requirements. "At Schalke, he worked with the top coach Norbert Elgert and he was very successful with the teams he trained and he helped a lot of highly talented youngsters to gain a foothold in professional football. Beyond that, he's ambitious and a proven team player. We're convinced the U19s are in very good hands with him."
Following an ankle injury, Sven Hübscher started his career as a coach at an early age. When he was 20, he worked as a youth coach with DSC Wanne-Eickel and there he came to the attention of the management at Schalke 04. He joined the Royal Blues in 2000 where he was head and assistant coach with various youth teams. In 2013, he moved up to the first team with head coach Jens Keller and then supported Roberto di Matteo and André Breitenreiter as assistant coach. In July 2017, he moved on to Werder Bremen where he initially looked after the U17s and then the U23s. He was brought in as head coach at Preußen Münster in 2019/20 but his job with the third division club ended after six months.
"The challenge at Bayer 04 really appeals to me. For two decades, a large number of talented youngsters have been brought through to professional football at this Performance Centre," said Sven Hübscher. "I want to play my part in continuing that in the future."
Sven Hübscher will have the support of Slawomir Czarniecki. The 41-year-old started at Bayer 04 and 2000 as a youth coach and currently is the head of first team and youth coordination. The agreement initially runs to the summer of 2021.
After their first win on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase, Olympiacos are still in with a good chance of reaching the play-offs in the UEFA Champions League. The 2024 UEFA Conference League winners will be looking to go one better in their home match against Bayer 04 this Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), but their stop scorer is unavailable. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Panagiotis, known as Panos, Retsos wore the Bayer 04 jersey for three years. Including his loan spells, he was under contract with the Werkself for a total of four and a half years. "It's a very special club for me," said the 27-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club Olympiacos in 2022, in an interview with bayer04.de. The former Leverkusen man is now captain and a first choice for the Werkself's next opponents in the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday night, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Retsos talks about his fond memories of his time in Leverkusen and the imminent reunion with some of his former team-mates. He also talks about who brought him to Leverkusen and why he likes getting older.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without goalkeeper Mark Flekken and forward Nathan Tella for the time being.
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After a week in the Algarve, the Bayer 04 Women returned home on Saturday afternoon. The Werkself had six training sessions, two friendlies and a lot of time together as a team. Roberto Pätzold's team will be back in action in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga next Friday for the start of matchday 15.
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