The U19s secured a 3-2 win against the Middle Rhine League veterans eleven thanks to goals from Michel Eickschläger, Samed Onur and Niklas Determann. The Bayer 04 youth team came back from a goal down to take a 3-1 lead. But for the coaching team of Markus von Ahlen and Patrick Weiser giving players match practice after injury or having had less time on the pitch was more important than the result. “The lads were all very committed,” praised von Ahlen. “Overall, it was a very good friendly for us.”
The U19s return to action on Sunday 18 October (kick-off: 11.00 CEST) with a home game in the U19 Bundesliga West: Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, who picked up maximum points on the first two match days, visit Leverkusen.
Seven points from three games in the U17 Bundesliga West: The points haul for the Leverkusen U17s has been impressive to date. The team coached by Jan Hoepner and Thomas Zdebel went into the current international break second in the table – but there is no rest at Kurtekotten. On Saturday morning, 10 October, the Black and Reds have a friendly away to the Fortuna Köln U17s. The Bundesliga a meeting between these two teams in the middle of September ended all square at 2-2.
The Bayer 04 U17s do not have a fixture on the next matchday (16 to 18 October) – they have free weekend in the 17 club league. A home friendly against the TSV Meerbusch U19s is planned for Tuesday 20 October.
In five games in the U15 Regional League West, the highest tier in Germany for U15 teams, the Werkself youngsters have only conceded one goal – in the 3-1 win at Wuppertal. That is the best form in the whole of the league. On Saturday 10 October (kick-off:15.00 CEST), the second-placed team from Leverkusen are away to the side with the second best defence in the league: SC Preußen Münster. The Westphalians have only conceded two goals in four games.
For the Leverkusen U14s, at the moment most successful team in the Youth Cup, have an away game at VfL Bochum. The match on Saturday 10 October kicks off at 15.15 CEST. That’s followed for the Black and Reds by a league match free weekend.
Other fixtures:
U12 v Schalke 04 (L)
U10 v Bayer Wuppertal (F)
U9 v Alemannia Aachen (F)
U8 v Viktoria Köln (F)
(L) = League | (F) = Friendly
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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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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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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