The Poland international joined the Werkself last summer and is now one of the regular starters in the team in her role as a tough midfield dynamo. Matysik played in seven out of twelve games before the winter break before being sidelined for several weeks with a back problem. The midfielder made her comeback at the weekend against SGS Essen.
"Bayer 04 are the first club abroad for Sylwia. She's fitted in brilliantly with us and taken her chance. We are happy to be able to work with her for another two years," said Linda Schöttler, general manager of the Bayer 04 Women's team, looking forward positively to the forthcoming seasons. Head coach Achim Feifel said: "Sylwia has progressed really well with us over the past year. She is a ball-winner, has an outstanding winning mentality and brings a lot of energy to the pitch with her athleticism."
After striker Milena Nikolic agreed an early contract extension at the start of the year and the goalkeeper Friederike Abt (from VfL Wolfsburg) and Dina Blagojević (SC Sand) became the first two summer signings, the personnel plans for next season are taking shape. Frederike Kempe, who signed for Leverkusen in 2015, and home-grown player Selina Garofalo, who moved up to the senior squad from the second team in 2020, are set to leave at the end of the season. The contracts with the two defenders have not been extended. "We would like to thank Frederike and Selina for their games in a Bayer 04 shirt and wish both of them all the best for the future, both in terms of football and also personally," said Schöttler.
Bayer 04 have comfortably reached the DFB Pokal second round thanks to a 4–0 victory away to Liga 3 side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Patrik Schick put the Werkself ahead in the first 45 in the first competitive match under head coach Carles Martínez with debuts for new signings Miguel Gutiérrez, Afonso Moreira and Facundo Medina. After the break, Lucas Vázquez (47'), Nathan Tella (69') and Christian Kofane (79') also found the back of the net.
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Today brings the first match of the season for the Werkself. Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign today, Saturday 22 August, at 13:00 CEST with a first-round DFB Pokal tie away to third-tier side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. The 3,700 travelling fans can not only look forward to what will hopefully be a successful start to the season, but also now organise their journeys to Black and Reds games even more easily via the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Meanwhile, following two defeats at the start of the league season, SV Wehen are hoping to spring a surprise in the DFB Pokal tie. Today’s matchday news.
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Carolin Simon is the new captain of the Bayer 04 women’s team. The full-back, who joined from Bayern Munich in the summer, will take over the captain’s armband for the 2026/27 season. Simon returned to Leverkusen in the summer after ten years away. The 33-year-old succeeds goalkeeper Friederike Repohl, who retired at the end of last season.
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With the 2026/27 season set to kick off with a DFB Pokal tie away to SV Wehen Wiesbaden (Saturday, 22 August, 13:00 CEST), the squad numbers for two Werkself players have now been confirmed. New signing Afonso Moreira will wear the number 9, which he has already worn in pre-season friendlies. Lucas Vázquez is switching from number 21 to number 17 – the number he wore successfully at Real Madrid for many years.
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