Leverkusen beat SC Sand 2-1 in the previous match in the first half of the season. The hope is for the same number of points on Sunday in the game against SC Freiburg. SCF are in sixth place and one point behind the Werkself with a total of 15 points and they have won five of the last ten games. They have only lost two games – one of them against Bayer 04. In the first half of the season, the team from Baden lost 2-1 with two late goals from the Werkself Women on 87 and 90 minutes.
Despite the win on the first matchday of the season Leverkusen’s head coach Achim Feifel has sounded a warning about the potential of the team from the Breisgau: “Freiburg are a good Bundesliga team. From the few goals conceded in the first half of the season it is clear they are very solid at the back and disciplined. They have a clear plan and good shape. They also have a lot of players in their ranks who are very quick in transitions when they win possession.”
The Bayer 04 coach is expecting his team to be aggressive in the first game of the second half of the season. “We have to be compact to win the game and deny Freiburg any space in the middle of the park. We have to defend aggressively and put the opposition under pressure. And play quick counter-attacks as that’s what we’re good at and it can also be a weak point for the opposition. We have to exploit that.”
A win against Freiburg also means going into the winter break with a positive feeling and being able to fully recharge our batteries for the remaining games in the New Year. “I think we’ll all get a good rest. The break due to coronavirus and all the games have placed a heavy burden on the team. I hope they have a good time with their families and come back fit and well so we can have a good build-up to the second half of the season,” said Feifel.
Pauline Wimmer (torn cruciate) and Jessica Wich (broken ankle) are unavailable on Sunday. Barbara Reger is also ruled out with a knee injury. Striker Milena Nikolic has missed training due to back pain. It remains to be seen if she can play against SC Freiburg.
‘Give our all once again’ is the title of the latest edition of the Rasenreport. The matchday programme for the home game against Freiburg is available online free of charge. In addition to information on the game, the current edition also includes Lara Marti choosing between two answers in the Black and Red format. Click HERE for the Rasenreport.
The Black and Reds travel to Gran Canaria in the second half of January for a training camp where Feifel will be working hard on ironing out any weak points in the team. “We will also focus on team building activities and bind the team even closer together. On top of that, we want to produce targets for the second half of the season and step up our game in terms of tactics and fitness,” the head coach explained.
The next match for the Werkself Women in 2021 is on 7 February (kick-off: 14.00 CET). Bayer 04 are away to TSG Hoffenheim on matchday 19, which has been brought forward. That is followed by matchday 13 on 14 February with a game against MSV Duisburg.
More information on the Bayer 04 Women is available in the ELFEN magazine. The fourth edition of the women’s football magazine is out on 17 December. Subjects covered include Anna Klink and her new role as part of the Bayer 04 eSports team and the Bayer 04 Women being the surprise team in the FLYERALARM Women’s Bundesliga.
The Bayer 04 women’s team secured a win in the friendly during the international break. Without a total of eight international players, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team defeated Bundesliga 2 side Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1 at the Kurtekotten Training Centre, thanks to goals from Lobke Loonen (1’, penalty), Caroline Kehrer (41') and Valentina Mädl (66').
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without striker Christian Kofane in the coming weeks. The 20-year-old sustained a muscle injury to his left thigh on international duty with the Cameroon national team during the recent international break. This will prevent him from playing in the upcoming Werkself matches.
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FSV Mainz 05 went into the international break on the back of an away win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Currently sixth in the table, the Rheinhessen side – who have been impressive on the road – now aim to continue their good start to the Bundesliga campaign at home when they face the Werkself on Saturday, 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). In terms of squad selection, Urs Fischer once again has more options at his disposal. Up front, the Mainz coach is likely to continue relying on what is currently the league’s most successful strike partnership. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fans ask, Carolin Simon answers: As part of Bayer 04’s second Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, the Leverkusen captain took questions from the community. The full-back, who returned to the club this summer after ten years away, set aside an hour and a half for the Q&A session with fans, offering a very personal insight into, amongst other things, her daily life as a footballer and her role as captain, as well as her passion for Pokémon.
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