Bayer 04 Women out to top last season’s tally in trip to Leipzig

It’s a good enough reason for the fifth-placed Werkself to approach the game seriously, while Leipzig will be eager to take a step towards survival in their maiden Bundesliga campaign, sitting in ninth with 17 points, five above the drop zone. The 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture, where Verena Wieder’s overhead kick salvaged a point in added time, should serve as a warning. “We’ve long put that game behind us,” stressed de Pauw. “We prefer to look at our displays in recent weeks. We’ve done a lot well there. We want to build on that to maintain our good feeling.”

In particular, the 2-0 win against Champions League qualifiers Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend will provide fresh encouragement. Forward Loreen Bender impressed with her maiden Bundesliga goal, just three minutes after coming off the bench. Fellow substitute Nikola Karczewska then got a second and her eighth of the campaign in added time. The pair showed “that also players coming on can make the difference,” stated de Pauw. He also had special praise for 18-year-old Bender: “She’s already a good player and can become an excellent player. She definitely has the potential.

Bender and her teammates could now make history in the final four games of the season, with 33 points the target to equal Bayer 04’s best-ever finish from 2020/21. Two wins would do the job in that regard. “We should focus above all on how we can reach it. Then there’s a good chance we’ll do it,” explained de Pauw.

De Pauw: “Good individual players”

The Dutchman has a clear idea of how he wants to take the next step on this journey against Leipzig, who signed Lara Marti from Leverkusen during the winter. “Leipzig will try to get at us early. We need to try to integrate our attacking players and be aware of how the opponent is set up,” he said, also making the point that Leipzig have “adapted very well to the level of this division and have a good chance of staying up. They have lots of good individual players who can cause danger with runs in behind.”

It’s not yet clear whether Karólína Lea Vilhjálmsdóttir will be able to make the trip to Leipzig after she went off with an ankle problem to be replaced by Bender against Frankfurt. Synne Skinnes Hansen is in line for a return after her thigh issues. Charlotte Voll (shoulder) and Melissa Friedrich (ankle) remain on the sidelines.