
Head coach Achim Feifel is expecting a similar game against the third-placed team as in the cup tie on Tuesday: "The opponents are the favourites again. They showed their strengths in the cup game. Although they did miss a lot of clear-cut chances. We did have luck on our side on lots of occasions and that can change on Friday."
The 55-year-old is again expecting a hard-fought game: "Hoffenheim will be looking to take revenge for the defeat in the cup tie. That makes them even more difficult to play against than normal." His team will need to produce a similarly impressive performance to the one on Tuesday: "You have to put opponents like that under pressure so that they can't get on the front foot. You could see that clearly in the cup game: When we didn't apply enough pressure and gave the opponent too much space they were able to create good goalscoring opportunities. But as soon as our pressing worked well, we were able to force TSG into making mistakes and launch counter-attacks."
The personnel situation ahead of the match has continued to ease compared with recent games. Only long-term injuries Melissa Friedrich, Pauline Wimmer (both torn cruciates) and Karoline Heinze (back problems) are still sidelined. Isabel Kerschowski returns to the squad after recovering from muscle problems. There will be a change between the sticks: Anna Klink, who is the number one in the league, returns in goal.

Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month.
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Kasper Hjulmand has led the Werkself back to winning ways and is back in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League with Bayer 04 after the 3-0 win against Villarreal on Wednesday evening. In an interview with the Werkself magazine at the BayArena in the team meeting room, directly opposite the dressing room, he provided some special insights for the current issue, which was published in January. A conversation with the 53-year-old coach about values, attitudes and personal experiences as well as interests outside of football.
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The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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Bayer 04 have ended Artem Stepanov’s loan deal at Nürnberg and agreed a new loan to Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Ukrainian striker did not play as much as hoped for at the Bundesliga 2 club and will now continue his development in the Eredivisie for the rest of 2025/26.
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The draw for the knockout play-offs of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League was made on Friday, 30 January and saw Bayer 04 paired with Olympiacos. It’s a reunion with the Greek side following the Werkself’s 2-0 loss in Athens on Matchday 7 of the league phase.
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