‘Establish ourselves in the chasing pack’: Women welcome SGS Essen

Although last Sunday’s 4-2 defeat on penalties at the Volksparkstadion left its mark, the coach is confident his players will be able to get back on track mentally. "Everyone is professional enough to put the disappointment of being knocked out behind them," said Pätzold: "The focus is now completely on the league. Before the international break, we have a great opportunity to establish ourselves in the chasing pack. Fortunately, football is a forward-looking business. We're looking ahead and we want to get the three points against Essen."

Pätzold calls for greater efficiency

With 19 points from ten games, the Werkself currently belong to a pool of three teams behind the top duo of champions Bayern Munich (28) and VfL Wolfsburg (22). The attack, in particular, will be expected to step up to add three more points against bottom-of-the-table Essen. Pätzold pointed out his team has scored in all of the competitive matches to date apart from the opening game in Munich (0-2) and he declared: "We are capable of scoring goals from different areas. However, in recent weeks we have been very dependent on Vanessa Fudalla although we created a lot of chances. The finishing hasn't been right, and the same often applies to the final pass or the final cross to create more clear-cut chances."

At the same time, he also observed positive developments. "The path up to this point in both Freiburg and Hamburg was a step forward compared to the same time last season. Sometimes it's the little things that don't go right, sometimes that little bit of luck is missing. We want to work for that luck again," said Pätzold: "If we carry on like this, then the pendulum will swing back in our favour and the logjam will break. There's no reason to abandon everything."

Although the visitors have only collected two points in the league, they secured their long-awaited first major success of the season with a 1-0 win in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 at Turbine Potsdam. "Not too much has changed in their squad compared to the last two good seasons and the team is anything but vulnerable," explained Pätzold: "The table says little about the quality in their ranks. They will certainly arrive with more confidence after their win in the Pokal." SGS Essen's role as the clear underdog also plays into their hands, "because nobody expects an away win". The 46-year-old concluded: "The pressure is on us, but we want to face up to it, break the short negative run and gain a new sense of achievement."

Tickets available online and from matchday ticket office

Little has changed in terms of personnel compared to last weekend. Carlotta Wamser (infection), Cornelia Kramer (muscle injury), Charlotte Voll (dislocated shoulder) and Shen Menglu (cruciate ligament rupture) are still sidelined. Friederike Repohl trained again for the first time this week following her muscle injury, but it is still too early for her to play. There is also a question mark over Ida Daedelow (knock). Anyone wanting to get behind the Werkself at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium can buy tickets HERE or from the matchday ticket office from 13:00 CET.

jersey prize draw for fan mobility survey

Bayer 04 will be conducting a survey on fan travel at this match. The voluntary survey is via an online questionnaire, which can also be completed in the stadium with a helper or independently on a mobile phone. There will also be an opportunity to scan the QR code on some of the displays at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. In addition, all stadium visitors will receive a link via the Bayer 04 app and the Bayer 04 newsletter, which they can use to take part in the survey after the game. The survey will be anonymous. All participants who voluntarily enter an e-mail address will be entered into a prize draw for a jersey signed by the Women's team once the survey has been completed.

Fan mobility on matchdays is one of the biggest emission factors for professional football clubs. The last Mobility Survey in 2023 provided valuable information and is now to be updated so that Bayer 04 can maintain the commitment to climate-friendly mobility based on current data. The information is of great importance for the management and maximisation of environmental efforts in terms of mobility. Thank you for taking part.