
You've been hiking today – was it very tiring?
Yurchenko: It was okay but the last stretch was tiring. But it's good for the team – and it was something different for a change.
What's the mood like in the team at the training camp? Yurchenko: We're all a bit tired but that's normal for a training camp. The important thing is the fact we're all having fun because we're together.
We could do with a win against Lazio, couldn't we?
Yurchenko: Yes of course, we've definitely got to win. Lazio are good opponents so we'll need to play well and, above all, score more goals..
Who are your best friends in the team?
Yurchenko: I get on really well with everybody so there aren't any individual players.
04 fan questions - Thanks for joining in.
André Maier(via Facebook): What went through your mind when you scored your first Champions League goal against Monaco?
Yurchenko: It felt great and a dream that had come true. It was a really good night for me.
Gina Adii König (via Facebook): Why have you changed your shirt number?
Yurchenko: My birthday's on 22 January – that's why it's my new number.
Pascal Weinrich (via Facebook): Can you speak good German?
Yurchenko: No. (laughs) I want to but it's not that good as yet. I hope it'll improve.
Leandros Amaadacho (via Facebook): What was the name of your first club?
Yurchenko: I started in football at Mykolaiv, the town where I was born. I played there for six or seven years.

Bayer 04 have comfortably reached the DFB Pokal second round thanks to a 4–0 victory away to Liga 3 side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Patrik Schick put the Werkself ahead in the first 45 in the first competitive match under head coach Carles Martínez with debuts for new signings Miguel Gutiérrez, Afonso Moreira and Facundo Medina. After the break, Lucas Vázquez (47'), Nathan Tella (69') and Christian Kofane (79') also found the back of the net.
Show more
Today brings the first match of the season for the Werkself. Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign today, Saturday 22 August, at 13:00 CEST with a first-round DFB Pokal tie away to third-tier side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. The 3,700 travelling fans can not only look forward to what will hopefully be a successful start to the season, but also now organise their journeys to Black and Reds games even more easily via the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Meanwhile, following two defeats at the start of the league season, SV Wehen are hoping to spring a surprise in the DFB Pokal tie. Today’s matchday news.
Show more
Carolin Simon is the new captain of the Bayer 04 women’s team. The full-back, who joined from Bayern Munich in the summer, will take over the captain’s armband for the 2026/27 season. Simon returned to Leverkusen in the summer after ten years away. The 33-year-old succeeds goalkeeper Friederike Repohl, who retired at the end of last season.
Show more
With the 2026/27 season set to kick off with a DFB Pokal tie away to SV Wehen Wiesbaden (Saturday, 22 August, 13:00 CEST), the squad numbers for two Werkself players have now been confirmed. New signing Afonso Moreira will wear the number 9, which he has already worn in pre-season friendlies. Lucas Vázquez is switching from number 21 to number 17 – the number he wore successfully at Real Madrid for many years.
Show more