"The first match was a game that gave me great pleasure as a coach. It was end-to-end action. It was an evenly balanced match with high intensity, simply power football!" Striker Milena Nikolic levelled minutes after going behind before the Bosnia international turned the game round in favour of the Werkself Women at 2-1. Frankfurt levelled from the penalty spot in the last minute to claim a point.
The return match is on Friday night – and the Werkself Women currently have the upper hand. Eintracht on 18 points are two places and eight points behind the Black and Reds in seventh place although they have played two games less. So the cushion to the Eintracht Frankfurt Women ahead of the clash is big enough but it should be extended if possible. But Feifel is certain it will not be easy: "Frankfurt are absolutely a good Bundesliga team. They have the fourth best goal difference in the league – there's a difference of 12 goals between them and us and that says a lot. A strong opponent with lots of top international players. We will have to go to our absolute limits and beyond."
The Werkself Women can go into Friday night's game with confidence following three impressive performances in succession. However, Eintracht are also buoyant. A short, two-day quarantine last week due to a false positive coronavirus test for a player did not throw the team led by Niko Arnautis off course. Quite the contrary: In the DFB Cup quarter-finals last weekend, the team gained confidence with a 7-1 victory over second division SG 99 Andernach to secure a place in the last four.
"We have to approach the game as we did against Potsdam: with absolute conviction, assertiveness and be incredibly compact," said Feifel. "We have to close down space, give Frankfurt little room to manoeuvre, mount quick turnovers after winning possession and be clinical in front of goal." A very intense session on Wednesday was designed to work on those elements amongst others – Thursday brought a more relaxed final pre-match training session with Henrietta Csiszár again taking part.
The Hungarian returns to the squad after recovering from knee problems suffered in the Wolfsburg match. As does the recently suspended Milena Nikolic. Still sidelined are Sylwia Matysik and Viktoria Pinther (back problems). Verena Wieder is also ruled out – and the 20-year-old faces a longer period on the sidelines due to the need for an operation on her knee.
Friday night's home game is taking place under the motto #Morethanfootball. Football is more than just a game – as Bayer 04 have demonstrated this week as part of the #Morethanfootball Action Weeks together with 100 participants. Inclusion, participation and promoting social cohesion are just a small number of issues that are an intrinsic element of the Bayer 04 DNA.
Defender Nina Brüggemann is an ambassador for the #Morethanfootball Action Weeks and she explained: "Football is more than just a sport. It brings people together worldwide both on and off the pitch. The club Bayer 04 have sent out important messages on subjects such as equality, diversity and sustainability for many years. In the future, that has to be turned into social responsibility and developed further. We are #Morethanfootball.“
More information on the game, the two team squads, information on the matchday and an interview with Ann-Kathrin Vinken are available in the current Rasenreport magazine. HERE is the e-paper.
SAB-P GmbH is to become Bayer 04 Leverkusen's first official inclusion partner. The company, which has previously been involved in the club's Business Club, is underlining its social commitment to inclusion with an agreement that runs until 31 May 2027. Among other things, it will be the shirt sponsor of the Inclusion Team from the 2026/27 season onwards.
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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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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 3-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 20 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
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Kasper Hjulmand has led the Werkself back to winning ways and is back in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League with Bayer 04 after the 3-0 win against Villarreal on Wednesday evening. In an interview with the Werkself magazine at the BayArena in the team meeting room, directly opposite the dressing room, he provided some special insights for the current issue, which was published in January. A conversation with the 53-year-old coach about values, attitudes and personal experiences as well as interests outside of football.
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The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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