The team led by head coach Achim Feifel have impressed against strong opponents in recent weeks. The 4-2 win against Turbine Potsdam provided a boost in confidence. And the Werkself Women stood up to the reigning champions of Germany VfL Wolfsburg last weekend and were on the verge of levelling at 1-1 but ended up losing 2-0.
The Black and Reds now face bottom club MSV Duisburg. The ‘Zebras’ are the only team in the league yet to win a game. With four draws from from 14 games, they are currently only three points behind eleventh-placed SC Sand, who they recently drew with in an intense encounter at the bottom end of the table. Feifel warned against underestimating the opponents: “The point gained against Sand shows MSV have not given up yet. The match will definitely not be a walk in the park. Duisburg will fight to the end, are very physical and have already shown they can score against top teams. At the end of the day, a tough opponent.”
On Sunday, the Bayer 04 coach is expecting “a completely different game than in Wolfsburg. MSV mainly stand out with their tough tackling and the mentality of the players. It will be a hard-fought game like the one earlier in the season.” Leverkusen won 2-0 in the previous meeting of the two teams. Another win against Duisburg could see the Werkself Women move back to being three points behind fourth-placed Turbine Potsdam – and draw away from direct rivals Freiburg and Frankfurt. “We only focus on the next opponents and obviously want to get a result to make the most of the season,” Feifel said.
After Jessica Wich and Nina Brüggemann returned to full training in recent weeks, Juliane Wirtz was back in trininbg this week after recovering from a groin injury. Bayer 04 will still have to manage without Viktoria Pinther (back problems) and the ball-winning Sylwia Matysik (back problems). That also applies to Henrietta Csiszár who has had problems with her knee since the Wolfsburg game.
The away game for the Werkself women at MSV Duisburg on Sunday is available as a livestream on the Bayer 04 YouTube channel. A lot of the other league games for the team coached by Achim Feifel this season will be broadcast over the coming weeks.
After being nominated for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025, Martin Terrier's wonderful strike for the opener against FC Köln is now also up for selection for the ARD Sportschau Goal of the Month award for December 2025. Bayer 04 fans have until 19:00 CET on 10 January to vote for the French forward.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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"In every ending lies a new beginning" is a well-known saying. This phrase has probably never been more apt at Bayer 04. After winning the Bundesliga in 2023/24 and finishing as runners-up in 2024/25, the summer was the most eventful ever in terms of transfers. Over ten players and the coach, including the coaching staff, left the club. A lot of the heroes of the double-winning side began a new chapter. It was the end of an era. And at the same time the beginning of a new, very exciting and promising chapter for Leverkusen. The Werkself welcomed more than a dozen new arrivals, including experienced title-winners and young talents, to build a new "foundation for a successful team capable of winning titles" under the Bayer Cross, as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. A new spirit, a new hunger, a new story was to be created. Bayer04.de looks back at the first few months of this story and the final act of the preseason.
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43 points at the end of the last Bundesliga season were not only more than ever before for the Bayer 04 Women, but also led to a record fourth-place finish. That was followed by a Hinrunde with many more victories, but also some setbacks. In an interview with bayer04.de, sporting director Achim Feifel takes stock at the end of the year.
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With their wonderful goals, Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz are up for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025. Voting for fans will run exclusively via the official Bundesliga app until Sunday, 4 January.
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