Julian Baumgartlinger and Vlad Yurchenko, who were due to play World Cup qualifiers for their national sides the night before, are expected back on Thursday. Coach Heiko Herrlich misses two players due to injury as he prepares for the third Bundesliga matchday: Tin Jedvaj is in rehab after suffering a hairline fracture to his shin. And new signing Panos Retsos, who arrived in Leverkusen on Tuesday, is working on his own in the Werkstatt as he recovers from a blow to his right knee playing for his country.
Retsos had to miss the first session with his new team-mates. Instead he took time out in the afternoon to face questions from members of the written and radio media. The 19-year-old commented…
...on his decision to join Bayer 04:
"It's a great honour for me to play for a club like Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The club has always played in the Champions League in recent years and is one of the big clubs. It was important for me and my development to take the next step at a club like this. I spoke to Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Konstantinos Stafylidis (former Bayer 04 players) to find out more about Bayer 04. Papa only had good things to say and he told me it's like a family here and the club places great value in young players. That was very important for me and it encouraged me a lot."
...on the Bundesliga:
"The Bundesliga is one of the best leagues in the world. I'm really happy I can play here in spite of my young age. After the Bundesliga players Papadopoulos (Hamburg SV), Staflidis (FC Augsburg) and Sokratis (Borussia Dortmund) told me about the league when they were with the national team, I definitely wanted to come here."
...on his favourite position:
"I played in several positions at Olympiakos last season. It wasn't that easy. For me personally and for my development the most important thing is to play regularly – it doesn't matter whether it’s in the centre or the right at the back or in holding midfield. I feel most at home in central defence but I don't have any problem with playing at left back. The main thing is I can get to play.
...on possible selection for Saturday:
"I took a blow to the right knee in the World Cup qualifier against Estonia. It's not a bad injury but after talking to the doctors we didn't want to take any risks so I’ve eased off for a couple of days. That's why I worked on my own in the gym today but I hope to back with the rest of the team in the next few days. We'll have to see if that will be enough for Saturday’s game against Mainz."
...on leaving Greece:
"The last training sessions with my old team-mates at Olympiakos and the farewell were sad moments for me – I'd spent ten or eleven years at the club. And the day I flew out was very emotional: A lot of my friends were at the airport to say goodbye. But along with the tears there were a whole load of happy feelings because I very much looked forward to taking the next step and moving to Leverkusen."
...on his first impressions at Bayer 04:
My first impressions have been fantastic: The stadium is great and the same applies to the different training facilities. Even though the facilities at Olympiakos were very good, it's a completely different level here."
...on his targets:
"I'd like to become a better player – at Bayer 04 I'll be playing with very good team-mates and in the Bundesliga I'll be up against other top players. I want to take the next step here and I hope I'll develop into a leading player."
Following the international break, the Bayer 04 women’s team face their next head-to-head clash in the race for a top spot in the Bundesliga. In Saturday’s home match (14:00 CEST), the fourth-placed side host third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Head coach Roberto Pätzold is well aware of the great opportunity this presents for his team.
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Bayer 04 make their first trip to Poland for over 30 years as they face Lech Poznan on Matchday 2 of the league phase in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. The game kicks off at 18:45 CEST on Thursday, but the team will be preparing for the action on Wednesday with training, travel and pre-match press conferences. We’ll bring you all the latest news here…
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Bayer 04 remain unbeaten in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. After winning the opener against NK Celje, the Werkself followed that up on Thursday night with a 4–0 win away at the Polish champions Lech Poznan. Patrik Schick, who came on as a substitute early in the game, scored twice from the penalty spot, and Malik Tillman also found the back of the net before half-time. The second half was a more subdued affair, with Ibrahim Maza scoring late on to seal the final 4-0 scoreline.
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Since 2023, Bayer 04 has been organising regular free goalkeeping coach training sessions at the BayArena. As in previous years, the event attracted enormous interest in mid-October 2026. Around 140 participants – mostly goalkeeping coaches from the region, but also team and academy coaches as well as association staff – came to the Werkself stadium to gain expert knowledge on the subject of zonal marking. Through a theoretical keynote presentation and a practical session on the pitch, the participants gained insights into goalkeeping and goalkeeper training at Bayer 04.
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