'Exert pressure as a chasing team': Women in action at Nürnberg

"We go into every game full of confidence and with the certainty that we can win," said the coach. "Despite their low points tally, Nürnberg have had a few tight games as well as a few that weren't as one-sided as the result suggests. As one of the chasing teams, we want to exert pressure, knowing that, like last year [1-0 away win], it will be a difficult task." The state of the pitch should also not be an obstacle to the objective. "The men are playing there the evening before, so it probably won't be in top condition. We have to be prepared for that."

Although FCN have only collected two points from seven games, Pätzold is wary of the hosts. "Nürnberg are strong in transition with a great setup and quality in attack - they can play very brave combination football at times," described the 47-year-old. "At the same time, however, they do make a high number of mistakes. We want to cause them and exploit them to win. We also need to keep the pressure high without the ball, so that we don't even allow them to bring their strengths into play. They've been a match for long periods in games, even against top teams, so we'll be tested for 90 minutes." The Leverkusen coach's message is therefore: "It's about showing patience and conviction on the pitch, and turning that performance into a result."

absences of Zdebel and Tomasiak: 'tried out one or two things'

As was the case for the 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, internationals Sofie Zdebel and Paulina Tomasiak are ruled out because of muscle injuries. "Thankfully we have a number of players in the squad who can play in multiple positions. We've tried out one or two things in training this week with a view to the upcoming assignments and the players available," revealed Pätzold. "Compared to the short preparation time for the Frankfurt game after the international break, it's been good for us. We've already had to shift things around in some matches for various reasons and, overall, we've managed that very well as a team - thanks also to boosts from the bench in crucial phases."

Kowalski a doubt

As well as Zdebel and Tomasiak, Sana Coskun (tendon), Melissa Friedrich (fitness) and Amy Wrigge (cruciate ligament) remain sidelined. Natasha Kowalski is also still doubtful with a knock.