Wirtz and Retsos will not join national squads
In agreement with Bayer 04 and their national associations, Florian Wirtz and Panos Retsos will not be involved in international fixtures this week.
Germany coach Stefan Kuntz selected Wirtz for the Germany U21 squad for the first time for the Euro qualifiers against Moldova on 3 September and Belgium on 8 September. In agreement with Bayer 04 head coach Peter Bosz, Kuntz will now manage without the 17-year-old.
"Of course, we have important games in September. Nevertheless, we look at each individual player to decide what's best for his current situation and further development. We would have been very happy to have Florian Wirtz with us. But that doesn't make sense at the moment with the break after the Europa League tournament. He first needs to have a decent pre-season before his first U21 internationals," explained the Germany coach.
In the case of Panos Retsos, who should be joining the Greece U21 squad for the two Euro qualifiers against the Czech Republic and San Marino, Bayer 04 and the Greek FA have both agreed that Retsos should complete the pre-season ahead of the 2020/21 campaign with the Werkself and miss out on the internationals.
Related News
Women - 20.11.2025
‘Establish ourselves in the chasing pack’: Women welcome SGS Essen
A week after the disappointing DFB Pokal exit at Hamburger SV, the Bayer 04 Women return to league action. In a home match against SGS Essen on Saturday, 22 November (kick-off: 14:00 CET at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium), coach Roberto Pätzold's team will be fighting to maintain a good position in the chasing pack in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga.
Show more
Women - 20.11.2025
Women: Tickets on sale for home games against RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich
Tickets are on sale for the last two Bayer 04 Women's team home games in 2025. Fans can now purchase tickets for the matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium against RB Leipzig and the final fixture of the year in the Rückrunde opener against German champions Bayern Munich. The latest information at a glance.
Show more
eSports - 19.11.2025
#B04eSports: Leverkusen miss out on a place in the offline round of showdown two
Eliminated ahead of the offline round: On Tuesday, 18 November, the Leverkusen console pros played the two remaining matches in the online preliminary round of showdown two. After picking up six points from the first four games last week, the #B04eSports team bagged another three in the two final duels - but it wasn't enough. The Leverkusen team missed out on a place in the offline knockout round, which will take place in this second showdown on 23 November in Frankfurt am Main.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 19.11.2025
International updates: Quansah debut, Garcia plays full 90 minutes
Several Bayer 04 players are currently away with their respective national teams in the final international break of 2025, with most of them involved in qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Our blog will keep you up to date on the matches involving the Werkself.
Show more
eSports - 18.11.2025
#B04eSports: Our next opponents in second showdown
The VBL Club Championship by WOW 2025/26 continues today, Tuesday 18 November, with the last two of the six online preliminary round matches in the second showdown. Starting at 18:00 CET, Bayer 04 face Karlsruher SC, followed by Borussia Mönchengladbach at 19:00 CET. The games will be streamed live on the Bayer 04 app and on the club Twitch channel. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
