The Black and Reds won the last two encounters: In October 1995, there was also a Round of 16 tie that ended in a 4-1 win on penalties after a 4-4 draw after extra time: Bayer 04 secured a 1-0 win in the first round in September 2002. The only time RW Essen came out on top was a 4-1 win in round three in the first DFB Cup meeting in 1981/82.
The Werkself go into Tuesday night's game as the clear favourites – Bayer 04 are in the Round of 16 for the seventh time in the last eight years and have always progressed in the cup against teams from the fourth tier or below – but Essen have already caused cup upsets against two teams this season. "In Bielefeld and Düsseldorf, they have knocked two good opponents out of the competition. RWE are a good team and we have prepared accordingly. At the end of the day, we don't want to be on the end of the next upset so we’ll have to produce a good performance tomorrow," said Peter Bosz at the pre-match press conference.
It could well be match of the season for Essen but "it's also an important game for us," Bosz made clear and he is expecting a defensive opponent. "I think we'll push them back. Essen will be compact in defence and hope to provide a threat in counter-attacks. Therefore, we have to be well organised defensively across the pitch. And, of course, score goals."
Although the results in the league have recently been below par, "we don't need to panic. We analyse what we've done wrong and then work on our game in training," assured the head coach. "Tomorrow we’ll have to take our first chance if possible and then create further goalscoring opportunities and that's how we’ll start."
There will be a late decision on who will be going in search of goals for the Werkself. A number of players suffered knocks in the Bundesliga away game at RB Leipzig. Moussa Diaby, who went off on 59 minutes after a kick on the knee, did not train on Sunday, just like Leon Bailey, who is ruled out due to illness. Only if they can complete the final pre-match training session will they be an option for the squad on Tuesday night. The final session will also be crucial for Sven Bender as well as new signing Jeremie Frimpong who was on the training ground for the first time with the team on Sunday.
In principle, Bosz is open to changes to his team but did emphasise: "We want to win. Therefore, I'll use players who I think can help us most."
With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
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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 personal 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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You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
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Following Patrik Schick, Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Kerim Alajbegovic earlier this week, the next World Cup participant is back on the training ground in Leverkusen: On Thursday 30 July, Malik Tillman rejoined the squad, completing his first training session under head coach Carles Martínez.
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