
Five Leverkusen players were involved in the last two international matches of the Germany U23 team. In the 3-1 loss against Portugal in Leiria, the first defeat for coach Michael Urbansky's team in the current international campaign, Katharina Piljic scored after just two minutes from 20 metres out - her first international goal. Despite the lead and clear superiority, Germany lost in the end. In addition to Piljic, Loreen Bender was also in the starting eleven. Selina Ostermeier, Julia Mickenhagen (both on 56 minutes) and Sofie Zdebel (65’) came on as substitutes. The sixth Werkself player, Estrella Merino Gonzalez, who was called up on standby for the senior national team for the first time, was on the bench and went home injured before the second game against France.
Four days later, Germany made up for the previous defeat by beating France 2-0 at the Stadion am Brentanobad in Frankfurt. This time Bender (up to 58 minutes) and Zdebel were in the starting line-up, with Ostermeier and Piljic coming on after 77 minutes. Mickenhagen was left out. The next two U23 international fixtures are against Norway and Belgium in March 2026.




A Werkself duo were in the Austria squad for two friendlies. Centre-back Claudia Wenger played 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw in Finland and was on the bench in the 3-2 defeat in Ukraine. The same applied to her team-mate Valentina Mädl in both games. The attacking player is therefore still waiting for her debut.
Amy Wrigge, who made her debut for the Germany U19s at the Wedau Sports School in Duisburg, had three games in the European Championship qualifiers. In Group A2, coach Melanie Behringer's team drew 2-2 with Belgium, with Wrigge coming off the bench on 70 minutes. She scored her first goal for the U19s at the second outing after coming on as a substitute at the break. The 17-year-old scored to make it 5-0 (47') in the 8-0 win against the overwhelmed Faroe Islands. It was Wrigge's tenth goal in 18 games for a junior Germany side. In the final clash, Germany lost 5-0 to Spain, with Wrigge coming on after 61 minutes. As a result, Germany finished second in their group and are now in the second round of qualifiers. Ida Daedelow was also called up for the U19s, but had to withdraw due to illness. Next year's European Championship finals are in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 27 June to 11 July.
In their two - ultimately unsuccessful - UEFA Women's Nations League final games against Spain (0-0, 0-3), Germany had to manage without Carlotta Wamser. The wing back, who played the full 90 minutes in both semi-final duels against France, is still sidelined due to injury.
The Bundesliga continues for the Bayer 04 Women on Saturday, 6 December (14:00 CET), with a home match against RB Leipzig at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Tickets for the game are available HERE.

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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