Joel Pohjanpalo appears to be unlucky with injuries. On Sunday, the Finland team including Lukas Hradecky clocked up a 2-1 against Bulgaria in the UEFA Nations League – an injury brought the game to an early end for Pohjanpalo on 35 minutes. A negative diagnosis followed on Monday, “a serious injury to the left ankle,” as announced by FC Union Berlin, where the striker is under contract to the end of the season. The 26-year-old will now undergo an operation and is set to be out of action for an extended period. A lot of Danger fans will be concerned when they hear ‘ankle’ and ‘Pohjanpalo’ in the same sentence as the striker was sidelined for 437 days on 2018/19. Back then, he suffered a protracted circulation problem in his right ankle. Keep your head up, Jolle! We wish you a speedy recovery.
The France U21s beat Switzerland 3-1 in a Euros qualifier on Monday night. Moussa Diaby came on for ‘Les Bleus’ on 82 minutes. The France U21s have not lost a single game in Group B of the qualifying rounds for the forthcoming European Championships. The team secured qualification for the Euros with a 5-0 victory over Liechtenstein in their previous group match. Bayer 04 teammate Edmond Tapsoba and his Burkina Faso side drew 0-0 with Malawi in an Africa Cup qualifier. Burkina Faso are currently top of Group B. There are still two games to play.
Germany are away to Spain in the Nations League on Tuesday night at 20.45 CET (live on ARD). The Werkself duo Jonathan Tah and Nadiem Amiri are hoping to play in Seville. A win would seal top spot in the group for Germany in League A. Ahead of the clash, second-placed Spain, with eight points, are on the heels of Germany (nine points).
Today is also a matchday for Florian Wirtz and Lennart Grill. The Germany U21s play Wales in a Euro qualifier (18.15 CET, live on Pro7 Maxx). Germany are level on points with Wales. If Bosnia-Herzegovina help out by beating Belgium, then a win for the Germany U21s under Stefan Kuntz would put them top of Group 9.
The Bayer 04 eSports duo Kai ‘DETO’ Wollin and Fabian ‘B04_DUBZJE’ De Cae are in action in matchdays 3 and 4 in the Virtual Bundesliga on Tuesday afternoon. From 16.30 CET the opponents are SC Paderborn 04 and 20.00 CET sees the start of the clash on the console with FC St. Pauli. For the start of the new VBL season, Wollin and De Cae clocked up two wins on the double matchday against Holstein Kiel and VfL Wolfsburg. Now the Black and Red duo are defending top spot in the table. Both matches are live on Twitch.
A Bayer 04 legend and honorary captain has his birthday! Bernd ‘Schnix’ Schneider is 47 today (Tuesday). The midfielder joined Bayer 04 in 1999 and played for the club for ten years. Schneider had his heyday under the Bayer Cross: In 2003/04, the now 47-year-old was one of the most prolific players in the Bundesliga with ten goals. He made 366 appearances for the Black and Reds and scored 52 goals – and 80 assists also deserve a mention. With the Werkself in 2002, he was runner-up in the league, DFB Cup and Champions League finalist. ‘The white Brazilian’ ended his playing career in 2009 and is now working as a players agent. Happy Birthday, Schnix!
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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