"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
The Germany U19 team were beaten 2-0 by record champions Spain in the final of the U19 European Championship in Wales. Bayer 04 players Montrell Culbreath and Francis Onyeka (on loan at SV 07 Elversberg) were in the starting line-up and played the full 90 minutes.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed France U17 international Kenan Doganay. The 1.90-metre-tall defensive midfielder, who has Turkish roots, joins Leverkusen from the U19s at French top-flight club Olympique Lyon. He will initially train with and play for the U19 team.
Show more
The Sports Tribunal of the German Football Association (DFB) has fined Bayer 04 Leverkusen €185,000 for spectators setting off pyrotechnic devices during a total of five competitive matches. This relates to four Bundesliga matches and the DFB Pokal semi-final against Bayern Munich. The highest individual fine relates to the away match at FC Köln at the end of April.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 goalkeeper Simeon Rapsch. The Germany youth international goalkeeper has signed a long-term contract with the Werkself running to 30 June 2029. The 18-year-old joined Leverkusen from FC Viktoria Köln in the summer of 2024.
Show more
