The two oldest Bayer 04 youth teams began the new NRW League Cup with convincing wins. The U19s under head coach Sven Hübscher entertained Alemannia Aachen in the opening fixture in Group 3 – and they secured a convincing 5-0 victory. The goalscorers included three youth players who took part in the first team training camp in Salzburger Land a few weeks ago.
The first goal of the new season was netted by Joshua Eze just before half-time at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre (36'). At the start of the second 45, Ayman Aourir made it 2-0 (46') before Zidan Sertdemir took centre stage. The 16-year-old summer signing from top-flight Danish club FC Nordsjaelland, who has completed every training session with the first team, netted a hat-trick in eleven minutes (53', 60', 64').
The U19s are back in action in the NRW League Cup on Friday, 13 August, with a home game against Preußen Münster. The kick-off at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium is at 18.30 CEST.
Like the older youth age group, the Leverkusen U17s are top of Group 2 after matchday one. Thanks to a 4-0 home win against Alemannia Aachen, the team coached by Jan Hoepner and Thomas Zdebel have taken the first step towards the semi-finals. The goals for the Werkself youth side were scored by Akim Kister (28’), Raoul Petak (37’), Enes Yilmaz (56’) and Julius Bugenhagen (75’).
Preußen Münster are also the next opponents for the U17s. The second group match is away from home on Thursday, 12 August at 13.00 CEST.
Following the focused performance in the DFB Cup tie at Lokomotive Leipzig (3-0), the Werkself began the new week with a day off training. The first session is set for Tuesday with the focus moving exclusively to the Bundesliga opener away to FC Union Berlin. Bayer 04 will travel to the capital on Friday in search of the first three points of the new league campaign the day after with a 15.30 CEST kick-off at the Alte Försterei Stadium.
As announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Monday, the second round of the DFB Cup will be drawn on Sunday, 29 August. The draw will begin at 18.30 CEST in the WDR studio in Cologne where the ARD Sportschau is broadcast live. The second round matches will be played on 26 and 27 October.
Bayer 04 went through in the cup competition with a comfortable 3-0 victory away to North East Regional League Lokomotive Leipzig. The match report can be read HERE.
The Werkself player Jeremie Frimpong describes his FIFA Ultimate Team as "quick" and "powerful". Bayer 04 TV asked the 20-year-old right-back to introduce his dream team on FIFA. The players he chose can be seen on the club’s YouTube channel. HERE is the link to the video.
The week starts again with Black and Red congratulations: Panagiotis ‘Panos’ Retsos celebrated his 23rd birthday on Monday. The defender joined Leverkusen in 2017 from Olympiakos as a champion of Greece. After going out on loan to Saint-Étienne last year, the South African-born Retsos is again showing his potential under the Bayer Cross. After time on the pitch in the pre-season friendlies, the versatile defender went the full distance in the DFB Cup tie against Lokomotive Leipzig. Many happy returns on your birthday, Panos.
Another player, who wore the Black and Red until recently, became a year old on Monday and is now 24: Leon Bailey. The Jamaican joined Bayer 04 in January 2017. A few days ago, the winger moved on to the Premier League after four and a half years in the Bundesliga – he is now at Aston Villa. Many happy returns and much success, Leon.
Bayer 04 Women have their second straight home game as they close out Matchday 5 in the Google Pixel Bundesliga against Carl Zeiss Jena on Monday. Kick-off at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion is at 6pm CEST, with head coach Roberto Pätzold expecting a defensive-minded opponent while his team look to continue their good form.
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The German double winners’ special-edition jersey to mark the club’s 120th anniversary is reminiscent of the first kit worn by players back in the 1907/08 season. The jersey, which the Werkself will wear for the Bundesliga home game against Holstein Kiel on Saturday, 5 October and which has been met with enthusiasm by the players, has numerous special features relating to the club's history, including an NFC chip that leads to exclusive content when scanned with a smartphone.
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Bundesliga debutants Holstein Kiel come to the BayArena on Saturday, 5 October (kick-off: 3.30pm CEST) looking to improve on their defensive record up against the Werkself after a tough start to the season. No team has conceded more goals so far than the promoted side. Learn more about our next opponents here…
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Vanessa Haim became Bayer 04 Women's sixth summer signing shortly before the start of the training camp in Poland. Around two months after her arrival in Leverkusen, the 27-year-old tells bayer04.de about her move under the Cross and her former job as a teacher.
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The second international break of the 2024/25 season is round the corner. After the Bundesliga clash against Holstein Kiel this Saturday, 5 October (kick-off 15:30 CEST), several Bayer 04 players will be playing in the next set of UEFA Nations League fixtures, among others. An overview.
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