There was huge disappointment after being knocked out in the second round of the cup competition. So, this week it is all about building confidence and gathering strength for Sunday’s encounter with TSG. “It’s important we get back on track in the league and try to go into the game with a 100 per cent attitude and produce the maximum passion and desire to compete,” declared Feifel ahead of the game.
The Bayer 04 Women have won two out of three home games this season – the Feifel team have not dropped a single point in the last three league games. The target is to secure the next home victory on Sunday. Hoffenheim will be full of confidence after winning their last two matches on the bounce (4-2 in the DFB Cup against FC Ingolstadt and 1-0 in the league against newly promoted SV Meppen). “Hoffenheim are a strong opponent and are one of the top teams. The team has great quality and has been working together well for a long time and they have some high quality players,” said Feifel about the opponent’s strengths.
A win would be important for both teams in terms of remaining in the top half of the table. Ahead of matchday 8, Hoffenheim are sixth and hard on the heels of Leverkusen with one point and one position less. The Bayer 04 Women beat the Hoffenheim team last season when the came out on top with 3-2 win in extra time in a hard-fought DFB Cup quarter-final tie in June. After six league defeats in succession against TSG, the Black and Reds will do all they can on Sunday to repeat the success of the summer.
With the exception of long-term injuries, Bayer 04 have a full squad available. Pauline Wimmer is back in rehab after her torn cruciate, and the two goalkeepers Anna Wellmann (finger) and Joyce Prabel (torn muscle) are also unavailable. First choice keeper Anna Klink will have U17 shot-stopper Charlin Lazauskas as back-up.
Standing on the pitch where the Werkself players perform - for many Bayer 04 club members, this wish became reality at this year's Members' kickabout. Around 400 active participants of all ages took the opportunity to experience the BayArena from a new and special perspective. And there was also plenty going on in the stands: The event attracted more than 1,000 visitors in total and provided an atmospheric end to the season.
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Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
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Rogier Meijer is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returning to his native Netherlands: The 44-year-old will take over at Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on 1 July. Meijer has been part of the Werkself coaching set-up since the start of the 2025/26 season - first as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag, then on Kasper Hjulmand's staff.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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