The first three points are in the bag and the Werkself women are looking to double that total on Friday night. After the away win at Freiburg, the team go into the next game with momentum. “It’s good if you win the first game straight off as it gives you a boost,” said Feifel, who refuses to get carried away: “A positive mood is good but we have to keep our feet on the ground. At the end of the day, we can’t say everything went brilliantly in the first game. We have to be realistic as some things didn’t work against Freiburg and we have to put that right.”
Duisburg started the season with a goalless draw against newly promoted SV Meppen. Last season, the MSV Women, who appointed the former Bayer 04 assistant coach Niko Schneck (2017-2018 under Heiko Herrlich) as assistant to head coach Thomas Gerstner in the summer, were a direct rival for Leverkusen in the battle to avoid relegation. MSV had the upper hand in the head-to-head games in 2019/20 winning both home and away. Feifel is also expecting Duisburg to present a tough challenge in the new season: “The opponents are almost as strong as last season. The squad has more or less stayed the same. They are tough in defence, defend well and are compact, are physical and have players who want to force the opponents into making challenges.”
The coach demands: “We have to perform to the max at our level. We have to see every game and every opponent in the Bundesliga as a big challenge as that’s the only way we’ll be able to get a result in every match.”
In terms of personnel, Bayer 04 have all but one player available from last weekend’s squad: Milena Nikolic replaces Barbara Reger. Pauline Wimmer (torn cruciate), Verena Wieder (rehab after torn cruciate), Sofie Zdebel, Joyce Prabel (both muscle injuries) and Nico Banecki (absent through illness) are also sidelined.
The match at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium will be played behind closed doors. Bayer 04 fans can follow the game from home: Eurosport is broadcasting the match live on Free TV and the encounter is on the streaming service MagentaSport.
The Leverkusen eSports team played the remaining three of the six matches in the online preliminary round of the fourth showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg were among the teams with the highest goal threat, including two World Cup participants in their ranks. Although the #B04eSports players were defeated in the matches overall, nine points from the first three games last week were enough for Leverkusen to advance to the offline round in Berlin on 2 February.
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A decisive showdown awaits: The Werkself are aiming to progress to the play-off round of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League with a home win against Villarreal CF on the eighth and final matchday of the league phase. Ahead of the match on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the game, the possible return of Edmond Tapsoba and a statement from new signing Jonas Omlin in an exclusive interview with Werkself TV. Lucas Vázquez, for his part, spoke about his role on and off the pitch as well as tomorrow’s opponents, who he often faced in Spain with Real Madrid.
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For Villarreal CF, the match at Bayer 04 on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), will be their last appearance on the European stage this season. The Spanish side, currently fourth in La Liga, are still without a win in the UEFA Champions League and, with just one point from their seven games so far, have no chance of making the play-offs. The 2021 Europa League winners can therefore play without any pressure at the BayArena and will be looking to bow out of the competition with a good performance. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will to have manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir. The Morocco international suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle before the AFCON final defeat against Senegal (0-1 a.e.t.).
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The VBL Club Championship 2025/26 continues. Tonight, 27 January (live on Twitch and on the Bayer 04 app from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports team will play the remaining three matches in the online preliminary round of Showdown Four. They are up against FC Kaiserslautern, SC Freiburg and the current club champions and Showdown Three winners RB Leipzig, with whom Bayer 04, club runners-up and Showdown One winners, shared some memorable moments, especially last year. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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