The Dutchman does not want to be fooled by the 6-0 thrashing at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, in which summer loan signing Nikola Karczewska scored a hat-trick. "The Nürnberg team has changed since then," said the coach. "They were still bedding in at that point. Now they've strengthened considerably and have been a bit unlucky in recent games, but they've also shown what they're capable of." As examples of that, he cited the 1-1 draw against FC Bayern Munich and the 2-1 win over MSV Duisburg. The hosts' pace in attack, which includes January signing from Leverkusen Amira Arfaoui, can pose a threat at any time. "We need a lot of energy to break them down," added de Pauw. "It will help us to remember the reverse fixture because we found a lot of spaces in that."
With a training session in colourful costumes on Fat Thursday, the Leverkusen women briefly provided some carnival-like relaxation. "It was a nice change and a lot of fun for everyone," commented the coach. "As a club from the region, it's part of it. It was also a good break from the day-to-day, which provided a new dynamic." Nevertheless, his team trained "seriously and with focus".
After earning a point against second-placed VfL Wolfsburg, Bayer 04 Women head to Nuremberg as clear favourites on paper, but the approach on the pitch shouldn't change. "Obviously Wolfsburg are a different calibre, but we need the same mentality on the field as last weekend," demanded de Pauw. "We want to quickly build up pressure and force Nürnberg into mistakes."
Along with Janou Levels (individual training after hip injury), two other defenders are ruled out with injuries from the Wolfsburg game in Sylwia Matysik (ankle) and Lilla Turányi (minor concussion). Loreen Bender is also unavailable due to a thigh problem.
The game will be broadcast live by paid-for streaming services DAZN and MagentaSport as well as on free TV by SPORT1. The programme begins at 19:00 CET. Fans who want to support Bayer 04 Women in person can purchase tickets HERE.
Will the Bayer 04 U19s take the next step towards their first appearance in the knockout stage of the UEFA Youth League in the away game at Manchester City? Coach Kevin Brok is well aware of this historic opportunity, but he's not about to start worrying about the maths: "We're not concerned with the question of what might be good enough. We invest everything we can and always aim for the maximum. That's our way." The game on this penultimate Matchday 5 of the league phase takes place on Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 16:00 CET) at the Manchester City Academy Stadium. Werkself TV will be broadcasting the whole match exclusively for Bayer 04 club members live from 15:50 CET....
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€1,000 and food for a good cause: In keeping with the long-standing cooperation between Bayer 04 and the Tafel Leverkusen e.V. food bank, the U19s are also supporting the charitable organisation in the region. In addition to the generous cheque the team were able to donate to an organisation of their choice as a result of their participation in the UEFA Youth League, coach Kevin Brok's lads donated €500 worth of food - financed by their own team kitty. Ferdinand Pohl, Jesper Schlich and Co. also actively helped to stow the food in the Tafel's premises.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 3-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg on the 11th matchday of the Bundesliga 2025/26...
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 0-1 loss against SGS Essen on the 11th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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