After having beaten Werder Bremen 3-0 last Sunday to clock up the third victory on the bounce, the team under head coach Achim Feifel are looking to make it four against tenth-placed SC Sand. "We want to carry on as before – with lots of passion and aggression. Above all, we have to do our job in defence and that means being compact and exerting permanent pressure to concede as little space as possible to the opponents," said Bayer 04 coach Feifel.
Verena Wieder has led the way in attack. The 21-year-old has scored for the Black and Reds in all of the last three matches. And new signing Irina Pando found the back of the net for the first time in the match against Bremen.
The visitors from Baden-Württemberg picked up their first point last weekend. In a goalless draw at home to Carl Zeiss Jena, goalkeeper Jasmin Pal played a big part in securing a point for her team.
"The season is only really got going for Sand now. They weren't necessarily expected to get a result in the first three matches against Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg and Frankfurt. Now they face an opponent on equal terms. I think it will be a tough battle," said Feifel.
Compared with the match in Bremen, the 57-year-old will only have to manage without Chiara Bücher. The midfielder is currently away with the Germany U19 team. Bücher will play her first international today (Thursday) and will therefore be unavailable for the Werkself Women against Sand. Annika Enderle will be involved at the UHS having moved up from the second team to the Bundesliga squad. The 21-year-old was in the squad for the cup game against RB Leipzig (3-1) and has recently impressed in training.
As with the last league matches, there are again 654 seats available at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Full price admission costs 8 euros and concessions and children pay 5 euros (all persons aged from 6 to 19, school students, students, people doing alternative national service, pensioners as well as the severely disabled). Children up to 5 years of age have free entry with a lap ticket. These are available from the service counter on matchdays.
Tickets, which are ordered by the service centre, are exclusively sent out via email (print@home and e-Ticket). However, this does not entitle the holder to travel on the VRR/VRS networks. Match tickets can be paid for via the service centre by direct debit or credit card (VISA, EUROCARD). There will also be a matchday ticket office, which opens at 18.15 CEST. However, only cash payments will be accepted there.
Admission begins one hour or kick-off via the North West entrance. There will be a visual check of the tickets as well as the 3G or 2G proof of vaccination (see next paragraph).
Certain hygiene regulations are still required for entry to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. That includes spectators having to produce a so-called 2G passport, which is proof of full vaccination or recovery (exceptions are pregnant women and exempted persons).
There are special rules for children and teenagers. Children under five have access to the stadium without the need to produce any proof. Spectators age from 6 to 19 have to be tested, vaccinated or recovered (certified, valid proof). Also there is a track and trace requirement for all spectators via a QR code, which has to be scanned at the entrance. Face masks must be worn throughout the stadium and can only be taken off at the spectators seat.
Bayer 04 will again provide catering for the home game against SC Sand. Drinks and hot food can only be paid for in cash. It is not possible to pay with EC cards or mobile payment methods.
Anybody unable to watch the match at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium can watch the game on free to air TV on Eurosport as well as a live stream on MagentaSport.
Bayer 04 go into the game against Sand with another important step in the area of professionalisation of the Women's team matchday activity. From now, the club will hold a press conference with both head coaches following the matches in the FLYERALARM Women's Bundesliga.
Feifel is also happy with this positive development: "For me, this is simply part and parcel of it if we want to drive our sport forwards. Therefore, I'm happy to be able to provide post-match assessment and analysis alongside my fellow coaches in future."
The press conferences will be held in the press lounge at the BayArena. Access for members of the media is via the Media entrance West (BayArena). Further information on accreditation and visiting as well as the on-site procedures can be found HERE.
Contact:
Janine Uckermark
Mobile: 0152 22880 199
Email: janine.uckermark@bayer04.de
The Rasenreport matchday magazine for home game against SC Sand
They had their hands full in the VAR centre in Cologne: eight goals were scored at the MEWA Arena on Saturday afternoon, but only four of them were allowed in the end as the Werkself and 1. FSV Mainz 05 closed the season with a 2-2 draw. It means Bayer 04 end the 2024/25 campaign as runners-up with 69 points, representing the fourth-best season in the club's history. What's more, the Werkself are now unbeaten away from home in two whole Bundesliga seasons, with their last away defeat coming exactly two years ago on Matchday 34 of the 2022/23 season at VfL Bochum. The Black-and-Reds can continue the record run next season - albeit without Alonso and Tah. Read what else the eventful final game for the head coach and the defensive leader had to offer in the Werkself Review.
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