After a breach of rules by the referee in the 3-2 win for the Black and Reds in Freiburg the Federal Court of the German Football Association (DFB) finally rejected the Leverkusen appeal against the match being replayed in December. Almost five months later and 43 days after the return match (2-0) the second half of the season now begins with the rearranged game. The situation is similar to the run-up to the last match just after the verdict was announced. "We dealt with it in a very professional manner back then and we will do it again now," said coach Roberto Pätzold: "We want to regain the points that were taken from us."
The Werkself prepared for the restart on the Spanish Mediterranean coast after the best Hinrunde in the club's history and fourth place in the table with 26 points from eleven games. Between 12 and 19 January, Pätzold worked on fine tuning his team on the Spanish coast in Oliva including two wins in friendlies. "Our training camp was important because we were able to work on content under very good conditions," said the coach: "We were able to share out a lot of time on the pitch and work on competitive fitness because we were also tested physically." And the previous performances against SC Freiburg are encouraging: "We are very well prepared with the win from the last game and we go to Freiburg in confident mood. We've shown we can beat them twice."
Also, because coach Theresa Merk has returned to the Freiburg dugout after maternity leave, Pätzold does not want to solely rely on previous analysis of the opponents. "There could be one or two personnel changes. We know the qualities of Freiburg in transition and we’ll have to give our all to build on our performance levels before the break," he said: "Neither side will be at 100% again yet. But we've shown that we have strong mentality and a keen focus to win games. In addition, we have great experience from the Hinrunde to be able to react to many eventualities."
Paulina Bartz, Synne Skinnes Hansen and Loreen Bender (after tonsil operation) are all still in rehab training with Vanessa Haim (back problems) and Sofia Cava Marin (torn cruciate) also still sidelined. In contrast, Juliette Vidal, who missed the training camp because of a broken nose, is now back in full training.
Any Werkself fans deciding to go to the game at this late stage can acquire seats in the away Block A at the Dreisamstadion HERE. A group of travelling fans will accompany the Bayer 04 Women on coaches to Freiburg and will also be in that block.
New signing Miguel Gutiérrez arrives in Leverkusen having won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and an Olympic gold medal. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard, signed from Napoli, is looking to the future – he wants to write the next chapter of success with the Werkself. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the skilful, attack-minded left-back, who will wear the number 3 jersey.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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