Bayer Leverkusen will face Celje in the Europa League with a little more uncertainty attached to the matchup after the Slovenian side appointed Zoran Zeljkovic as its new manager on Tuesday and moved on from Vitor Campelos.
For Leverkusen, it is the club’s first Europa League game since the 2023-24 final against Atalanta in Dublin, and the timing adds another layer to a season that has already started inconsistently under Carles Martinez. Even so, Martinez made it clear that the focus inside the Leverkusen camp remains on their own performance rather than on trying to overread what Celje might do under a new coach.
Martinez: Leverkusen will prepare, but stay focused on themselves
Martinez said Leverkusen have spent the past few days and weeks analyzing Celje thoroughly, as they do with every opponent. He also noted that the German side has plenty of respect for the Slovenian club, which reached the quarter-finals of the Conference League in 2024-25 and the last 16 in 2025-26.
At the same time, Martinez pointed out the obvious complication: a new manager can change a team’s shape, pressing style and overall approach. In his view, Leverkusen do not yet know whether Celje will sit deep or push high up the pitch, keep possession or defend with a back four or back five. That uncertainty is part of the challenge, but not something Leverkusen can control.
A familiar European stage for both clubs
The matchup also carries some historical context. Leverkusen beat Maribor 2-0 away and drew 0-0 at home in the 1999-00 Champions League, while Celje’s earlier European record includes going out in the first round of the UEFA Cup in 2003-04. Domzale’s 1-0 win over Stuttgart in the UEFA Cup in September 2005 is another reminder of how quickly Slovenian clubs can create difficult nights for bigger names.
Leverkusen, though, will still go in as the more established side, even if their recent form has not been perfectly smooth. The larger question for Martinez is whether his team can impose its own rhythm quickly enough against an opponent that now has a new voice on the sideline. For Celje, the coaching change could provide a spark. For Leverkusen, it simply means the first Europa League test of the campaign may be harder to read than expected.
