LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) – Bayer Leverkusen will face Newcastle in the Champions League after manager Kasper Hjurmand announced shortly before kick-off that he would be absent from the game due to personal reasons.
“Due to personal reasons, our head coach Kasper Hjurmand will be absent,” Leverkusen wrote in a post on X an hour before the match. He added that assistant Roger Meyer will take his place.
Leverkusen announced that Yurmand is expected to return for Saturday’s Bundesliga game against local rivals Cologne.
The former Denmark national team manager has overseen a turnaround in Leverkusen’s fortunes since taking over. appointed Suddenly, in September, the relationship between the club and Erik ten Hag broke down after just three games.
Yurmand has won 11 of his 18 games in all competitions, including a remarkable 2-0 surprise win against Manchester City last month.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
