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.
The first and only friendly of the summer at the BayArena is tonight: After the wins at Bochum (2-0) and Sittard (2-1), the Werkself host Pisa FC from Italy today, Tuesday 5 August (kick-off: 18:00 CEST/stadium opens: 15:00 CEST). Read on for the latest information on the match and the programme of events at the official Bayer 04 season launch…
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Bayer 04 and catering partner Bayer Gastronomie have revised the public catering offer at the BayArena. A moderate price revision has become unavoidable due to increased raw material, energy and staff costs. Beer will now cost €5.10 (plus 20 cents) and Bratwurst €4.40 (plus 10 cents).
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USA – it's common knowledge that everything here is supposed to be a bit bigger: The streets, the shops, the stadiums – and also the moments sometimes. For the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Inklusionswerkself (our team for athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities) participation in the Genuine World Cup 2025 in Huston was more than just a big tournament. It was an experience that left its mark – from a sporting, human and international perspective.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with Czechia international Patrik Schick. The striker has signed a contract to 30 June 2030 with the current Bundesliga runners-up. The existing contract between the Champions League side and the Leverkusen top striker of recent years was due to run to the summer of 2027.
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