That means this weekend’s matches could have been played. But the German Football Association (DFB) has reacted to the political decisions by postponing the forthcoming Bundesliga matchday for U19 and U17 sides.
Like the DFB, the West German Football Association (WDFV) has also cancelled the matchday for junior competitions at the weekend. For Bayer 04, this decision affects the U15s (U15 Regional League West) plus the U14, U13, U12 teams who are all due to play in the youth cups in their respective age groups. The U14 and U13 sides go into the enforced break as league leaders.
While the U12 to U19 postponements are due to decisions at association level, Bayer 04 have cancelled the club’s own U8 to U11 fixtures after internal discussions. That means all the youth teams at Bayer 04 now go into a four-week break in football.
In times of increasing infection rates and contact bans there is a need – as in the lockdown earlier in the year – for alternative training in the form of individual sessions. The youth section at Bayer 04 is already looking at possible options.
“We want to continue to support and develop the lads despite the absence of full training sessions. Of course, health comes first. We are working all the time to provide options for the youth players that take account of the development of the pandemic and at the same time ensure we are able to live up to our role as providers of education and development,” explained Thomas Eichin, the head of the Bayer 04 Performance Centre. “We also always see every change as a chance to focus in the immediate future on aspects that perhaps do not get the same attention in ‘normal’ day-to-day training.”
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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The champions of Slovenia NK Celje are in a European competition for the fourth time in their history. This Wednesday, 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the side lead by head coach Vitor Campelos visit the BayArena for matchday 1 in the group stage in the UEFA Europa League. Celje’s last match at the weekend did not go to plan. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Construction work continues on the ‘Haus der Talente’ on Kurtekottenweg in Leverkusen, where 36 young elite athletes will find a new home from next summer. The building team from Temmink Bau, led by Thomas Wellers, are hard at work. Over the past few days, excavators, wheeled loaders and rollers have removed 2,500 cubic metres of soil to excavate the basement.
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