They were just one goal away from a sensational appearance in the final in the second leg away to Manchester United. The friendly will be broadcast live on bayer04.de.
There was an impressive return to the European stage for Celta after a break of ten years during which the club just avoided relegation to the third division. By the year 2000, the Galicians were established in the top third of the Primera Division and they qualified six times for the UEFA Cup between 1998 and 2007 and even made it to the Champions League in 2003/2004 where they beat AC Milan and Ajax Amsterdam in the group stage before losing out to Arsenal in the Round of 16.
The former defender Eduardo Berizzo led Celta back to European competition as coach but he resigned after losing in the semi-finals against Manchester United. He went on to join Champions League participants Sevilla. His successor is a familiar face in the Galician seaport: Juan Carlos Unzué was assistant coach to the then Vigo manager Luis Enrique in 2013/2014 and he followed him to Barcelona where he won the treble of league title, domestic cup and Champions League in his first year as assistant coach. After Enrique resigned from the Catalan club, Unzué returned to the 'Little Celts' as head coach and he will now be looking to achieve a higher finish in the Spanish top-flight than last season's thirteenth place.
The star of the team is central striker Iago Aspas, who scored 19 goals in La Liga last season to finish fourth behind world stars Messi, Suárez and Ronaldo in the top scorers list. At the age of 29, Aspas who – with the exception of a two-year break at Liverpool and Sevilla – has worn the sky blue Celta shirt since he was eight years old and he also made his debut for Spain last autumn.
German fans will know one member of the Vigo squad in Marcelo Diaz. The midfielder saved Hamburg SV from relegation from the top-flight with a last-minute goal from a free kick in the play-off against Karlsruher SC. And this summer he was in the Chile side alongside Charles Aránguiz that reached the final of the Confederations Cup, which ended in defeat against a Germany team including Bernd Leno, Benjamin Henrichs and Julian Brandt.
The whole Werkself squad, including the coaches, will be available to sign autographs after the match. The opening competitive game in the first round of the DFB Cup against Karlsruher SC follows on Friday 11 August.
A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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