
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 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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