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.
The meeting between fifth and sixth on Saturday afternoon (17 January, 15:30 CET) is a hard one to predict. While the Werkself can take confidence from their historic record at TSG Hoffenheim, the hosts are currently enjoying their second-best Bundesliga campaign and have lost just one of their last 10 games. Another good omen for Bayer 04: Daniel Schlager also refereed Leverkusen's last victory in Sinsheim (4-1). The Matchday News.
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At the end of the winter training camp in Portugal, the Bayer 04 Women convincingly mastered their friendly ahead of the start of the second half of the season. In the match against Swiss league leaders Servette FCCF, coach Roberto Pätzold's team won 3-0 at the Monte Gordo Sports Complex. Carlotta Wamser (4’), Vanessa Fudalla (18’) and Loreen Bender (53’) scored for Bayer 04, who have been preparing for the Rückrunde in the Algarve since last Saturday.
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The German Football League (DFL) has rescheduled the postponed fixture at Hamburger SV on Bundesliga matchday 17. The match, due to be played on Tuesday, has now been rescheduled for Wednesday, 4 March (kick-off: 20:30 CET).
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The Rückrunde is about to begin: The Werkself travel to TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday, 17 January (kick-off: 15:30 CET) on Bundesliga matchday 18. At the pre-match press conference on Friday lunchtime, head coach Kasper Hjulmand emphasised the double anticipation for the clash following Tuesday's postponement of the fixture at Hamburger SV. And he also talked about the tactical approach against an opponent on course for Champions League qualification.
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TSG Hoffenheim have had a tremendous season so far and are in absolute top form going into the new year. After another outstanding display against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Wednesday, TSG went above Bayer 04 in the table. On Saturday, 17 January (kick-off: 15:30 CET), coach Christian Ilzer's team will be looking to continue their run in the league against the Werkself. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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