Bayer Leverkusen have sacked coach Klaus Toppmoller just two days before their Champions League clash with Newcastle.
Toppmoller, who guided the Germans to the final last season, has come under increasing pressure after a string of poor results which have left them hovering just above the Bundesliga relegation zone.
Yesterday’s 2-1 defeat by Hansa Rostock looks to have proved the final straw.
Thomas Horster, a former Leverkusen player and coach of the club‘s youth team, is to take temporary charge.