The Bayer 04 Women's team returned to Leverkusen last weekend after a narrow 1-0 defeat at league leaders Bayern Munich without any points but with plenty of confidence. And the team under head coach Achim Feifel are looking to take that energy into the next match against SC Sand. A win would give the Werkself Women 17 points – as many as in the whole of last season.
"We definitely had a bit of luck in Munich but we did play with a lot of confidence," the coach said looking back with satisfaction. On Sunday, his team face a completely different challenge, this time as favourites rather than as underdogs. "We have to produce something in attack and play focused and constructive attacking football. The defence has to be solid and with good pressing we will try to stop possible counter-attacks and offer the opponents as little room as possible."
The team that finished eighth last season, where Milena Nikolic and Viktoria Pinther used to play, are currently in tenth place in the league with six points and a goal difference of six goals for and 27 against. They have lost four games in succession including the recent match against Werder Bremen. Only one point separates the visitors from SV Meppen in the first relegation spot. Last weekend, the team coached by Nora Häuptle did manage to secure a win: In the second round of the DFB Cup, Sand won 4-1 against Regional League side SV Göttelborn to progress to the next round.
"We won't underestimate SC Sand. They have lost eight games in the league but one of the two wins was against a top team Eintracht Frankfurt. They have quality in turnover and attacking play and are dangerous down the wings," Feifel warned.
The coach almost has a full squad to choose from again. Melissa Friedrich, Lara Marti (both with muscle problems), Henrietta Csiszár (ankle) and Dora Zeller (knee) have recovered from their injuries and they returned to full training during the week. That means the only absentees are the long-term casualties Pauline Wimmer (torn cruciate) and Jessica Wich (broken ankle).
Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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In the final international break in the current 2025/26 campaign, Bayer 04 striker Patrik Schick with Czechia will be battling for a place at the World Cup. Meanwhile, national teams that have already qualified, include other Werkself players called up, are involved in friendlies in the build-up to the World Cup. Read on for an overview of the Leverkusen internationals and their match dates.
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The Werkself kicked off the final international break of the current season on Monday morning with the first of three open training sessions this week. While eleven Bayer 04 players will be away on international duty in the coming days, the other players will be working together in Leverkusen. The next challenge in the Bundesliga awaits on Saturday, 4 April (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) with the home game against VfL Wolfsburg.
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