"Until the start of this week, we didn't talk much about the Youth League," stressed Runge. "We wanted to focus completely on our day-to-day work in the league and DFB Cup. But after the win in the cup at Dortmund and the draw at Mönchengladbach - two very important games for us - we're now heading into the new competition full of anticipation."
The Spaniard continued: "We gave the boys some general information on the Youth League for the first time at the start of the week. Even though a lot of stuff on the outside is different - different kits, different balls, bigger crowds, trips abroad - at the end of the day it's still 11 against 11. And the last two matches I mentioned were at Youth League level from both sides, so we're ready for Feyenoord."
Of course, Runge also knows that Feyenoord, AC Milan or even FC Salzburg are among the best clubs in the Youth League year after year. There's also the age difference: while players born in 2005 and younger are eligible for this season's Youth League, Leverkusen's squad is largely made up of players from the 2007 age group. "We've explained these circumstances to the boys once now, but we won't mention it again," Runge explained. "We certainly won't use it as an excuse for anything."
Runge wants to focus more on the positive of the European youth competition. "We can look forward to new, intercultural experiences," he said. "These kinds of games and also the travelling abroad will help the players massively in their development at this age." On the injury front, the Leverkusen coach is without Andrea Natali, Emmanuel Owen, Julien Kurowski and Larson Ferati, while Bradley Ndi is a doubt.
Bayer 04's first fixture in the 2024/25 Youth league will be streamed live on bayer04.de, in the Bayer 04 app and on Werkself-TV (commentary in German). Build-up begins 10 minutes before kick-off at 13:50 CEST.
In the Youth League, Matchdays 7 and 8 of the UEFA Champions League, which take place in the new year, will not be replicated. That means only the first six matchdays are played in the youth competition. Following the league phase, the Champions League path and the so-called Domestic Champions path, in which all European national champions compete, will be combined in the knockout phase. From there on, the opponents in the Youth League will be determined by results and not by the Champions League draw, as is the case with the league phase.
Matchday 1:
Thursday 19/09, 14:00
Feyenoord vs. Bayer 04
Matchday 2:
Tuesday 01/10, 14:00
Bayer 04 vs. AC Milan
Matchday 3:
Wednesday 23/10, 11:00
Stade Brest vs. Bayer 04
*Scheduling changes possible
Matchday 4:
Tuesday 05/11, 15:00
Liverpool vs. Bayer 04
Matchday 5:
Tuesday 26/11, 14:00
Bayer 04 vs. FC Salzburg
Matchday 6:
Tuesday 10/12, 14:00
Bayer 04 vs. Inter Milan
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 0-1 loss against TSG Hoffenheim on the 19th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
Show more
A proud anniversary: 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the first Bayer 04 official fan club. The pioneers of the "First fan club 1976 Leverkusen" still hold their love for the club dear, black and red passion knows no expiry date. Read on to discover the development of organised fan culture at Bayer 04 and where it is practised around the country and the world.
Show more
After a run of seven games unbeaten in all competitions, the Werkself suffered a 1-0 defeat at FC Union Berlin despite their best efforts. Captain Robert Andrich, who took responsibility for the goal, said after the match: "Now we have to focus on not losing our heads even in difficult situations. That has always made us strong in the past." The Werkself review.
Show more
Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 0-1 loss at Union Berlin on Matchday 23 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
