The team have been dreaming of the first appearance in a cup final in the club's history. Verena Hagedorn is also well aware of this focus. "Everybody in the team is on fire and can hardly wait to achieve the big target on Sunday," said the 34-year-old. And the new head coach, who last week took over the helm from caretaker coach Malte Dresen, is confident that her team can clear this hurdle. "Clearly, Sand are definitely better placed in the Bundesliga than us but I believe we can compete on equal terms. We definitely have the chance of winning the match on Sunday to go through to the final," declared Hagedorn.
The former assistant to Germany coach Steffi Jones has used the first 10 days in a new job to get a good look a new squad. "I've settled in well and had a lot of discussions. The job is great fun and I'm looking forward to it. I found a strong team at Bayer 04 that has the potential to improve," said Verena Hagedorn. The fact that the Bundesliga game against Sand at Kurtekotten ended in a 3-0 defeat four weeks ago weeks ago does not have an undue influence on her: "We're going into Sundays game in an absolutely positive frame of mind and will try to cut out the mistakes that led to the defeat against Sand in the league. And the Cup is also a completely different competition compared with the battle for points in the league.
Clean sheets to date
Bayer 04 have yet to concede in the DFB Cup this season with clean cheats in the first four rounds: 4-0 in Niederkirchen, 4-0 in Saarbrücken, 5-0 against Jena and 2-0 at Cloppenburg with the results on the way to the semi-final. Sand, who made the final last season losing 2-1 against VfL Wolfsburg, qualified for the last four with a 3-1 win in Wetzlar, a 4-0 victory at Schott Mainz, a 3-0 success at Weinberg as well as a 1-0 result at Bremen.
"It will be important for us to enjoy playing the game," said Hagedorn who sees possession and passing play important components in her work at Bayer 04. It remains to be seen whether there are any absentees for the match against Sand. "There is a slight doubt about one or two players," said the coach. That applies particularly to Rebecca Knaak who is struggling with an ankle injury.
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
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