New captain Charles Aránguiz and his teammates have had about one and a half weeks to prepare. An unusually short length of time to get a team ready for a new campaign. "But the players who were here last season know how we want to play," Peter Bosz explained on Friday afternoon at the first press conference for several months in front of members of the media – although they were subject to strict hygiene regulations.
The illustrious circle of people who have taken in the demanding tactical ideas of the Dutchman includes Lennart Grill. The goalkeeper and former Kaiserslautern player has been training at Leverkusen since the middle of July. That means only Patrik Schick will have to get used to a new way of playing. The central striker joined the Werkself this week from AS Roma – and it seems highly likely that he will be included in the squad for Sunday. Bosz on the Czech Republic international: "He's only trained twice up to now. But what I've seen has been good – so he could play a role."
Schick will be at the BayArena a few days after his arrival. That also applies to 300 spectators who will be able to support the Werkself live for the first time in over six months. "It's a first step. Even though there are only 300 – I'm happy for every single fan," said Bosz. "It's much more fun playing in front of a crowd at a stadium. It's all part of it and it's a huge factor."
The spectators on Sunday will not be able to see Leon Bailey. The Jamaican is still waiting for test results after his time in quarantine in his home country. If they are negative then the 23 year-old will be allowed to travel to Germany. Meanwhile, Paulinho is working on his comeback. The Brazilian suffered a torn cruciate in the week before the DFB Cup final.
As it stands, Bosz will have the rest of his players to choose from on Sunday. Whoever the Dutchman finally chooses for the squad against Eintracht – the target has already been clearly defined: "We will take it seriously. Norderstedt deserve this game but it's one we have to win. The match is also important in respect of getting ready for the new campaign."
Match information:
Broadcasters: Sky and Werks11 Radio (bayer04.de)
Referee: The match officials will be announced on the day of the game
Attendance: 300
Tickets are on sale for the last two Bayer 04 Women's team home games in 2025. Fans can now purchase tickets for the matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium against RB Leipzig and the final fixture of the year in the Rückrunde opener against German champions Bayern Munich. The latest information at a glance.
Show more
Eliminated ahead of the offline round: On Tuesday, 18 November, the Leverkusen console pros played the two remaining matches in the online preliminary round of showdown two. After picking up six points from the first four games last week, the #B04eSports team bagged another three in the two final duels - but it wasn't enough. The Leverkusen team missed out on a place in the offline knockout round, which will take place in this second showdown on 23 November in Frankfurt am Main.
Show more
Several Bayer 04 players are currently away with their respective national teams in the final international break of 2025, with most of them involved in qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Our blog will keep you up to date on the matches involving the Werkself.
Show more
The VBL Club Championship by WOW 2025/26 continues today, Tuesday 18 November, with the last two of the six online preliminary round matches in the second showdown. Starting at 18:00 CET, Bayer 04 face Karlsruher SC, followed by Borussia Mönchengladbach at 19:00 CET. The games will be streamed live on the Bayer 04 app and on the club Twitch channel. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
Bayer 04 has presented the groups on the Monheim council with extensively revised proposals for the planned Campus. As part of constructive discussions, the club presented a plan to the CDU, SPD, Greens, FDP, PETO and the Left Party that envisages a one-third reduction in the area of the site on Alfred-Nobel-Strasse. The distance to neighbours will be increased by almost 60 percent. The green corridor will therefore be significantly larger than previously planned. Here are the main changes.
Show more
