Rehabilitation in Freiburg? Women want to 'fight for every inch'

For the team led by coach Robert de Pauw that means showing a reaction to the 2-1 defeat against SGS Essen in front of 3,512 fans at the BayArena. The disappointment at the missed chance to go through to the semi-finals should hopefully be turned into new energy five days later. "Of course, everybody is massively disappointed," said the Dutchman: "We've learned the lesson from it that we have to invest more to be successful. There are no easy games and we will see that again at the weekend."

The coach is expecting a "hard-fought game on equal terms where we will have to fight for every inch." In terms of the venue of the Dreisamstadion: “We are playing at a big stadium again so not much is different in comparison to Tuesday." After the cup exit, his team can now fully focus on the league. "We want to end the season as best as we can and finish in the top five," said de Pauw.

Freiburg, just one point behind the Leverkusen Women, recently gained a lot of confidence with a 3-0 victory over Werder Bremen. "We have to be on our toes and provide resistance from the start," declared de Pauw: "The 3-0 win in the previous meeting was much more difficult than the result suggests." In addition to Melissa Friedrich, who is still sidelined after tearing an ankle ligament, defender Selina Ostermeier (personal reasons) and top goalscorer Nikola Karczewska (thigh) will miss the fourth from last away game of the season.

"a matchday for everyone": All Bundesliga games free of charge

To mark International Women's Day on 8 March, the German Football Association (DFB) together with Google Pixel are promoting the profile of women's football on matchday 15. Under the motto of "Matchday for everybody", all six matches will be available free of charge. The match involving the Bayer 04 Women in Freiburg will be broadcast live on DAZN and MagentaSport.

Werkself supporters, who want to support the Leverkusen Women at the game on Sunday, can apply for tickets HERE in advance or from the matchday ticket office. The away section is in the main stand in Block A. There is no strict separation of home and away fans in the main stand. Fans wearing colours of the away team will not be permitted to enter the North Stand as this is a stand for the SC Freiburg fans.