The opening match for SCP at Leverkusen was, to a certain extent, a taster of how the Baumgart team will fare in each game this season: a courageous performance with some good moves in attack but ending up empty-handed. The rank outsiders at the start of the season have been able to compete with teams other than Bayer 04 as they always attempt to play attractive and attacking football. Scoring more goals than the opposition succeeded last Saturday. A brilliant long-range hammer blow from Abdelhamid Sabiri put Paderborn on course for victory against Fortuna Düsseldorf and the 2-0 victory was the first win of the season and that gives the team from East Westphalia renewed hope. SCP are still bottom of the table but have closed the gap to the teams above. The only other win this season for Paderborn came in the DFB Cup: At the end of a crazy match in the first round, Gjasula & Co. beat Regional League side Rödinghausen 7-5 on penalties to put them through to the next round at the BayArena.
Coach Steffen Baumgart has a big and balanced squad. Accordingly, the coach often rotates his starting line-up and he has already had four different players start up front in Sven Michel, Streli Mamba, Babacar Gueye and Ben Zolinski. Only the two central midfielders Sebastian Vasiliadis and Klaus Gjasula have started every game so far. Baumgart has also recently changed goalkeeper with new signing Jannik Huth making way for the promotion keeper Leopold Zingerle (pictured above) who produced an impressive performance against Fortuna. He has also changed the 4-4-2 formation that Paderborn played at Leverkusen on matchday one to a 4-2-3-1 system and against Düsseldorf a 4-3-3 line-up for the first time. There's not just a large tactical repertoire: In contrast to many other Bundesliga teams, Paderborn have almost a full squad to choose from in spite of the packed fixture list: Only the defensive stalwart Uwe Hünemeier is definitely ruled out of the game against Bayer 04 due to a torn ligament.
The loss of Hünemeier affects an already evident weak spot in the squad: the defence. Paderborn have already conceded 22 goals this season. In part, that is down to their attacking approach but also a lack of experience in defence. After Hünemeier's absence, Baumgart has put his usual partner and captain Christian Strohdiek on the bench. The central defensive partnership recently has been the homegrown player Sebastian Schonlau and new signing Luca Kilian. The pair have made seven Bundesliga appearances and the keeper Zingerle three to date. At the same time: Paderborn kept a clean sheet for the first time this season against Düsseldorf and Schonlau scored to make it 2-0.
Over recent seasons, Paderborn have followed a policy of giving players from lower leagues a chance. Left-winger Christopher Antwi-Adjei was playing in Sprockhövel two and half years ago; Zolinski was in Neustrelitz three years ago, Mamba played for SV Sandhausen reserves – and Kai Pröger, scorer against FC Bayern, was at Regional League Rot-Weiß Essen at the start of the year. It's clear that Paderborn cannot attract talented youngsters from across Germany due to financial reasons. The potential that SCP have exploited for years has its own charm and a certain romanticism: A team with numerous players, who have developed away from academies, flying under the radar at the top age for a player – and then ending up in the Bundesliga.
Not only the management at Paderborn would hardly be surprised if the second Bundesliga season in the club's history ends with a second relegation. For a club, who were only in the Regional League two and a half years ago, promotion was like having the chance to play in the Champions League. However, the team from East Westphalia should not be written off. SCP showed against Bayer 04 and the supposedly mighty FC Bayern that they can compete to the end and pose a threat to any opponent with their carefree style of play – including the Werkself on Tuesday night.
There won’t just be plenty of excitement on the pitch as Bayer 04 host Borussia Dortmund at the BayArena at 18:30 CET on Saturday. Outside the stadium there will be collection points for food donations to the Leverkusen Foodbank, which will also benefit from the profits of a jersey raffle in the Fanwelt afterwards. There will also be a minute’s silence before kick-off following the passing of long-time Werkself player Dieter Herzog, before two fan clubs are honoured for their decades-long support at half-time and fans receive a talk about Orange Day, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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Bayer 04 go into the first of two successive clashes with Borussia Dortmund boosted by their Champions League win at Manchester City. Ahead of the Bundesliga top match on Saturday, 29 November (kick-off: 18:30 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the tight schedule, BVB's strengths and returning squad members.
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Borussia Dortmund are doing very well in terms of points and results in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. BVB have only suffered two defeats to date this term. Now coach Niko Kovac's team are away to the Werkself on Saturday night, 29 November (kick-off: 18:30 CET) in the top match on Bundesliga matchday 12. The two teams meet again three days later in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 tie in Dortmund. Two very competitive encounters are on the cards. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The Bayer 04 Women clcoked up a 3-2 win in a friendly against Twente Enschede on Thursday afternoon in the last international break of 2025. In drizzle, Lilla Turanyi (16’), Kristin Kögel (65’) and Paulina Bartz (69’) scored the goals for the Werkself against the Dutch Eredivisie Vrouwen leaders, who are still unbeaten in the league.
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