
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.

Job done: the Bayer 04 eSports team defeated SV Darmstadt 98 in the play-offs to secure their consecutive participation in the VBL Club Championship final. The journey continues now for Leverkusen on Saturday 7 March (from 17:00 CET) with a last-16 encounter at Hamburger SV.
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Werkself TV shows highlights of the 0-0 draw against Olympiacos in the second leg of the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 league...
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A disciplined defensive performance in the second leg saw Bayer 04 prevail against Olympiacos in the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26. Thanks to the 2-0 away win in the first leg, the goalless draw at home at the BayArena was enough to ensure progress to the next round. The Black and Reds kept their opponents away from their goal for the best part of 90 minutes.
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Bayer 04 can go through to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the ninth time tonight, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET) and be in the top 16 clubs in Europe. A good omen: Leverkusen have progressed to the next round after winning the first leg in 20 of their 22 knockout rounds in European competitions to date. For their part, Greek record champions Olympiacos rested several players for last weekend’s league fixture ahead of the play-off second leg at the BayArena and will now do everything in their power to turn the tide with their usual aggressive and high pressing. The discussions on Werkself radio are likely to be just as intense as the battle on the pitch, with commentator Florian Bechholz welcoming honorary captain Stefan Kießling and goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Today’s matchday news.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will play Offenbacher Kickers: As part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the regional football league club, the Werkself will play a friendly at the Hessen club in the summer. On Saturday, 25 July 2026 (kick-off: 15:00 CEST.), coach Kasper Hjulmand's team will face OFC at Offenbach's Bieberer Berg stadium. The supporters of both clubs have maintained a close fan friendship for many years. This makes the match in preparation for the 2026/27 season a very special one, and not just for Offenbach fans.
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