After the two 2-1 wins before Christmas, the Bayer 04 Women were fifth in the table on 20 points and only five points behind third-placed TSG going into the winter break. The aim now is to defend that position in the ten remaining games in the second half of the season and reproduce the good performances from before the winter break. The first match in 2021 is against Hoffenheim who have won nine of their last ten games – including the match against the Werkself Women. The first meeting on matchday 8 ended in a 5-2 defeat for Leverkusen. Bayer 04 did take an early lead and only conceded the fourth goal on 90 minutes that sealed the outcome of the game.
That is not the only reason why the head coach Achim Feifel is confident ahead of the game. The build-up with friendlies against league rivals Werder Bremen (3-2) and second division Borussia Bocholt (7-0) proved to be a big success. A new striker has recently joined the squad: Fans and the team can look forward to new signing Mina Tanaka. “Mina has a work permit and everything else will be decided after the final pre-match training session,” explained Feifel regarding a possible debut for the Japan international who has joined the Werkself on loan to the end of the season from INAC Kobe Leonessabis.
To get a result at Hoffenheim, the Bayer 04 coach is expecting a courageous performance. “We have to be brave and have lots of confidence going into the game. It will be important for us to be switched on from the start and be aggressive in challenges. You can’t afford to let a top team like Hoffenheim have space or give them time to pass it around. We will try to make the most of our counter-attacks and cause them problems.”
TSG have the top goalscorer in the FLYERALARM Women’s Bundesliga in Nicole Billa. She has scored 14 goals so far this term. “We’ll try to defend collectively against the player and try to prevent passes getting to her,” said Feifel in setting out his plan. The Black and Reds will have to produce a top performance in the away game at Hoffenheim – “We’ll get our chances if we can stay in the game.”
Sandra Jessen, Nina Brüggemann, Viktoria Pinther, Pauline Machtens, Melissa Friedrich and Pauline Wimmer are all unavailable for Sunday’s game as is Jessica Wich, who is in rehab training following her broken ankle.
Ibrahim Maza joined Bayer 04 from Hertha Berlin in the summer of 2025. The youngster from Berlin developed into a difference-maker in his first season with the Werkself. Find out what makes the highly talented player tick in this very personal interview. Among other things, Maza talks about his Algerian-Vietnamese-German home, the role of his family and the importance of Islam for him both in his private life and in football...
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Bayer 04’s Ibrahim Maza is among the three nominees for the Bundesliga’s 2025/26 Rookie of the Season award. Fans have until 23:59 CEST on Thursday, 7 May to cast their votes in the official Bundesliga app.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 4-0 win at SGS Essen on the 24th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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The Bayer 04 Women have kept their chance of qualifying for the Champions League alive in the Bundesliga run-in. Coach Roberto Pätzold's team won 4-0 at SGS Essen on Sunday afternoon, improving their record from last season to 14 wins this term. With 43 points, the Werkself equalled another record from the 2024/25 season and at the same time reduced the gap to third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt to two points, at least for tonight. Loreen Bender (4’), Kristin Kögel (41’, 68’) and Cornelia Kramer (89’) scored for the Black and Reds, who dominated the game to record their fourth win on the bounce.
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