Leverkusen boss Martinez unfazed by managerial change at Celje

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Bayer Leverkusen boss Carles Martinez insisted his focus will remain on his own side ahead of their Europa League match against Celje, who appointed a new manager on Tuesday.

Leverkusen have made an inconsistent start to the season under Martinez, losing their Bundesliga opener against newly promoted Elversberg before beating Union Berlin 4-0 and drawing 2-2 with Augsburg.

This will be Leverkusen’s first Europa League game since losing the 2023-24 final against Atalanta in Dublin. They have won 14 of their last 16 group-stage games in the competition (D1 L1), winning their last nine at home while netting 37 goals.

However, there will be some unknowns about their upcoming opponents, who very recently sacked Vitor Campelos and appointed Zoran Zeljkovic.

Despite the managerial change, Martinez’s main concern is the performance of his Leverkusen side.

“We have, of course, analysed them thoroughly over the past few days and weeks – just as we do with every opponent,” he said.

“They only just missed out on Champions League qualification. As always, we have great respect for our opponents.

“However, we naturally don’t know exactly what to expect under their new coach – whether they’ll sit deep or play high up the pitch, look to keep possession, or play with a back four or a back five. But in any case, we’re primarily focusing on ourselves.”

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) September 15, 2026

Leverkusen’s only two previous European games against Slovenian teams were in the 1999-00 Champions League against Maribor, winning 2-0 away and drawing 0-0 in Germany.

Across the 11 major European meetings between German and Slovenian clubs, German sides have lost just once (W6 D4), a 1-0 win for Domzale in the UEFA Cup in September 2005 against Stuttgart.

This is Celje’s fourth-ever major European season – they went out in the first round of the 2003-04 UEFA Cup, then featured in the Conference League in both 2024-25 (quarter-finalists) and 2025-26 (reached last 16).

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