For the second time this season, Roberto Pätzold will not be in the dugout after picking up a fourth yellow card in the 2-0 defeat in Munich. As with the 3-0 victory over Turbine Potsdam in the Hinrunde, the coaching duo of Friederike Mehring and Remzi Kahraman will stand in for the head coach. "Our match plan and the approach to the game are clear and it's down to the players. Who coaches beforehand is of secondary importance and we've also had the same situation in friendlies and in one league match," said Pätzold: "Of course, I'm still annoyed about it particularly about missing out in the derby."
Playing against the team next to bottom, he is demanding three points from his players regardless of his error. "We started a winning run in the Hinrunde after the defeat against Bayern and perhaps we can do that again. Regardless of what is possible for us in the table there is always special motivation against the immediate neighbours," declared Pätzold.
Ahead of the matchday, the gap to Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg in positions two and three is five points – a difficult but not impossible margin to make up. "Finishing in the top three is not in our own hands but we want to play our part by winning our games," said the suspended coach: "We will give all we can until it is not mathematically possible."
Given that most of his eleven international players have returned after success in the international break should make this mission achievable. Loreen Bender, Kristin Kögel, Julia Mickenhagen, Selina Ostermeier, Katharina Piljic and Sofie Zdebel won a friendly tournament played over several months with the Germany U23 team in Spain, Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir scored a hat-trick for Iceland in the Nations League against Switzerland . "If you go into an international break on the back of a defeat then a different environment is always helpful," said Pätzold: "It was a good reset for several players and it also helps us that we don't play until Monday and have the squad together for a longer time." He confidently added: "We are very focused and firmly convinced we can come out on top."
Even though FC Köln have only won one of their 18 games this season, the Werkself meet the neighbours full of respect. "I don't think they will just sit back, they have again and again had active phases in recent matches," said Pätzold: "The positions in the table are not so crucial in the derby, Köln have a lot of individual quality in their squad and they are difficult to pin down if you forget about the results. They showed what the team is made of in a hard-fought match in the previous meeting." Nevertheless the maxim for him is: "At the same time they are susceptible due to the few wins and they tend to make mistakes. We want to be uncompromising in exploiting that and do our homework."
Caroline Kehrer (after suspension) and Janou Levels (after muscle problems) return to the squad with Lilla Turanyi (rehab training) and Vanessa Haim (muscle injury) plus Shen Menglu and Sofia Cava Marin (both with torn cruciates) all sidelined. Derby tickets are available in advance from the Bayer 04 online shop HERE as well as from the ticket office on the day of the match.
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The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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