In the first game, ‘deto’ played Dynamo fan and eSports player Marcel ‘minusmacher31’ Gramann, the ‘FIFA eSports state champions of Saxony 2019’. The three-time world champion in Black and Red secured a 3-1 win after the Dynamo player had levelled just before half-time.
Wendell could have sealed the overall win in the second game against against Dresden first team player Justin ‘Leo’ Löwe. However, the Brazilian was 4-0 down at the break against the in-form 21-year-old midfielder and he ended up losing 5-1. Wendell scored the consolation goal in added time with the virtual version of his teammate Kai Havertz. That meant Bayer 04 lost 6-4 to SG Dynamo.
The Bundesliga Home Challenge:
As a result of the suspension of fixtures in German professional football and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the DFL has set up the Bundesliga Home Challenge. 29 of the 36 Bundesliga clubs are represented on matchday two. The teams are made up of one first-team player per club plus "one person from the relevant club or associated with it." In addition, Deniz Aytekin and Daniel Schlager made up the Bundesliga referees team and they beat a Borussia Mönchengladbach team.
The challenge is played in the so-called 85 mode on PlayStation 4 without an official ranking. The virtual players therefore have the same overall strength. On matchday one, 'deto' and Stanilewicz played Darmstadt 98 with around 10,000 spectators watching the clash online.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
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