That means Havertz, who not only staked a claim with his three goals in the first two Europa League group matches, is now unable to earn a second full international cap. Brandt has been a long standing member of the Germany squad. After the goalless draw against World Cup winners France in the first group match at the beginning of September, Germany urgently need a victory to avoid relegation from one of the top leagues in the newly created competition.
Jonathan Tah, recently also a member of the senior Germany squad, will gain experience as captain of the U21 side. In the European Championship qualifiers, the team coached by Stefan Kuntz play Norway (12 October in Ingolstadt, 20.00 CET) and Ireland (16 October in Heidenheim, 18.15 CET).
Lukas Hradecky is set to play for Finland (Goup C2) in the two Nations League games against Estonia (12 October in Tallin, 20.45 CET) followed by Greece (15 October in Tampere, 20.45 CET). The Finns start as league leaders with the Finland number one Hradecky keeping a clean sheet in the first two group matches.
And Austria team boss Franco Foda also opts for black and red power but he will be without his captain Julian Baumgartlinger who is currently in rehab after his collateral ligament tear. Aleksandar Dragovic is in the 24-man squad for the Nations League game (Group B2) against Northern Ireland (12 October in Vienna, 20.45 CET) and the friendly in Denmark (16 October in Herning, 20.45 CT). The same applies to Tin Jedvaj, who has again been called up to the World Cup runners-up squad by Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic. Next Friday (12 October in Rijeka, 20.45 CET) sees the Croats play England in the Nations League match in Group A4. That is followed three days later (15 October in Rijeka, 20.45 CET) by a friendly against Jordan. Isaac Kiese Thelin is in the Sweden squad for the Nations League game (Group B2) in Russia (10 October, 20.45 CET) and a friendly against Slovenia (16 October, 20.45 CET).
Also on the road are the two U20 internationals Jakub Bednarczyk (Poland) and Paulinho (Brazil).
The Champions League journey continues! On the eighth and final matchday of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26, Bayer 04 secured their place in the play-offs with a commanding 3-0 win over Villarreal. Malik Tillman put in a mature and combative performance for Leverkusen, scoring a brace (12', 35') to make it 2-0 at the break, while Alejandro Grimaldo (57') and plenty of control of the game did the rest in the second half. The draw for the Werkself's next UCL opponents will take place on Friday 30 January at 12:00 CET.
Show more
The Leverkusen eSports team played the remaining three of the six matches in the online preliminary round of the fourth showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg were among the teams with the highest goal threat, including two World Cup participants in their ranks. Although the #B04eSports players were defeated in the matches overall, nine points from the first three games last week were enough for Leverkusen to advance to the offline round in Berlin on 2 February.
Show more
A decisive showdown awaits: The Werkself are aiming to progress to the play-off round of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League with a home win against Villarreal CF on the eighth and final matchday of the league phase. Ahead of the match on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the game, the possible return of Edmond Tapsoba and a statement from new signing Jonas Omlin in an exclusive interview with Werkself TV. Lucas Vázquez, for his part, spoke about his role on and off the pitch as well as tomorrow’s opponents, who he often faced in Spain with Real Madrid.
Show more
For Villarreal CF, the match at Bayer 04 on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), will be their last appearance on the European stage this season. The Spanish side, currently fourth in La Liga, are still without a win in the UEFA Champions League and, with just one point from their seven games so far, have no chance of making the play-offs. The 2021 Europa League winners can therefore play without any pressure at the BayArena and will be looking to bow out of the competition with a good performance. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
