Lukas Hradecky set to play in the Champions League and Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen, Matej Kovar will remain DFB Pokal keeper

kicker reports that Lukas Hradecky will be Bayer Leverkusen’s goalkeeper for the Bundesliga and Champions League this season.

Last season, Hradecky was used mainly in the Bundesliga and then sparingly in the Europa League and the DFB Pokal as head coach Xabi Alonso opted to use Matej Kovar as the cup goalkeeper but now Leverkusen are in the Champions League that will change.

Hradecky will be Leverkusen’s number one for the Bundesliga and Champions League, while Kovar will be used in the DFB Pokal which starts on Wednesday against Preußen Münster. However, with the quick turnaround between games this season, Kovar will likely be used before or after important games in the other competitions to maintain his fitness and give Leverkusen’s club captain a rest. 

The reason for the preference for Hradecky is that the club captain has simply performed better than Kovar. Last season, Kovar only played one Bundesliga game, a 0-0 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach, and even after the title was wrapped up could not displace Hradecky.

GGFN | Jack Meenan