This is only the second competitive match this year for the Bayer 04 Women. Due to the postponement of the game against MSV Duisburg due to weather conditions on matchday 13 and the following international break there is a break of one month between the restart and the clash with Turbine Potsdam. "In principle, such a long break is not good as it's difficult to find your rhythm again. You don't really know: Where are we up to now?," Declared head coach Achim Feifel. A justifiable question as, following a successful first half of the season, the Werkself Women suffered a heavy 6-0 defeat against TSG Hoffenheim after the winter break. "After a hammering like that, the players want to get straight back on the pitch to make amends for the result."
The opportunity now comes somewhat late on Friday night against Potsdam. "We've used the time to work on things and we want to produce a better performance on the pitch," said Feifel. "We all need that against Potsdam. An absolute top performance in other words." FFC are currently fourth in the table with 22 points (having played a game less than Bayer 04). A win for the Werkself, now in fourth place two points behind, would take them above Potsdam – and see the Black and Reds in fourth place in the top-flight for the first time in the club's history.
To achieve that target, “we have to surpass ourselves. Potsdam are a tough opponent and are near the top for a good reason," said the football coach, not least due to the 2-0 defeat in the previous meeting. "They have a good team with lots of young talents but also experienced players like Johanna Elsig or (the former Leverkusen player, ed.) Merle Barth. We need a top-level team performance on Friday – everybody needs to get really stuck in and push each other to the limit."
Not only the opponents present a challenge but also the personnel situation. Feifel has to cope with several players out injured. Captain Jessica Wich is continuing rehab training after coming back from a broken foot, and also working on their own this week was Nina Brüggemann following her muscle injury. Juliane Wirtz is still struggling with a groin injury and Sylwia Matysik has returned with back problems from international duty with Poland. There are also question marks about Melissa Friedrich, Pauline Machtens and Barbara Reger, who all only rejoined full training at the start of the week. In addition, Sandra Jessen is not available from this point due to her pregnancy. Bayer 04 are happy at this great news and wish her all the best for the coming months.
Winter signing Mina Tanaka could make her competitive debut. The Japan international made her first appearance for the Black and Reds in the friendly against second division Gütersloh (7-0) on Sunday and she scored to make it 3-0. "Mina put her foot on the gas. She is still lacking a little in terms of fitness but her last league match was in Japan in December. But she is finding her way now and is developing well. She is ready to play against Potsdam," revealed Feifel.
For this game, the Rasenreport matchday magazine is again available as an e-paper. In addition to the squads and further information on the matchday, Sofie Zdebel gives an interview. Click HERE for the online edition.
This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
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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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From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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