Werkself fans can watch the match live HERE on Werkself-TV, in the Bayer 04 app and on the club's YouTube channel from 11:55 CEST. "We're treating the game with maximum seriousness and respect for the opposition," said coach Roberto Pätzold. "The last few days have asked a lot from us, we had to give it everything until the end at Nürnberg and against Frankfurt. Now of course we want to cap off the week."
It's been a good start to the season for the Leverkusen ladies, who have registered three narrow wins in a row since the opening 2-0 defeat at FC Bayern Munich. "We've shown in every game so far that we can be a match for any team in Germany," continued Pätzold. "We need to do our jobs in Elversberg to get through to the next round and then maybe achieve something special in this cup campaign. That's why there won't be major experimenting."
It remains to be seen how much the coach can manage the workload within his squad. "If we could picture this week perfectly, then we would've liked the two matches before the cup game to have been all but decided by a certain point in time, so that we could've made substitutions to rest people," explained Pätzold. "That wasn't the case in either of them. We've recovered well but there are still a few question marks." Having started with the same XI in the last three matches, there will be changes in some positions, with Charlotte Voll starting in goal for the first time this season in place of captain Friederike Repohl.
The hosts, who are third in the Regionalliga Southwest with 10 points after five matchdays, qualified for the DFB Cup proper thanks to a 4-2 penalty shootout win over Fortuna Köln in the play-offs. "They're a physical, hard-tackling team who are very direct in their attacking play and always look for the second balls," said Pätzold. "We expect a similar game to the one against Nürnberg.“
Eight players from the first-team squad won't be making the trip to the Waldstadion Betzental: as well as Cornelia Kramer (muscle injury), Selina Ostermeier (fitness), Shen Menglu (cruciate ligament), Melissa Friedrich and Ida Daedelow (both ill), Lilla Turanyi (knock), Estrella Merino Gonzalez and Valentina Mädl (both ill) are also ruled out. Paulina Bartz and Amy Wrigge will return to the squad after their recent knocks, though.
Bayer 04 midfielder Ibrahim Maza was honoured in Paris in the Best Algerian Young Player category at the Fennec d'Or awards for the Algerian Footballer of the Year, organised for the first time by the football journal La Gazette du Fennec. "It's an honour for me," said the 19-year-old, delighted with the award.
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On the back of two wins within four days, Bayer 04 Women round off an intensive Bundesliga week in the Black Forest. Roberto Pätzold's side have the chance to move back up to third place against SC Freiburg in the final fixture of Matchday 10 on Monday (18:00 CET) and draw level on points with second-placed VfL Wolfsburg.
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The last international break of this calendar year features the final qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. An overview of who's playing where and when from a Leverkusen point of view.
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Never before have Bayer 04 led 4-0 so early in the Bundesliga, never before have they won a Bundesliga home match by a higher margin. Leverkusen's exhibition display against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 produced many stories, records and debuts. While Kasper Hjulmand's side celebrated the rousing performance properly with the fans, Jonas Hofmann and Co aren't losing focus: "We have to be careful that we don't just praise ourselves. The games come thick and fast again after the international break." The Werkself Review has all the reaction and analysis of the 6-0 victory at the BayArena.
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