The two Leverkusen midfielders have been a regular feature of coach Kathrin Peter's squad in recent months. Bender has made three appearances for the U20 team to date, Zdebel seven. Bender previously scored five goals in seven games for the U19s, while Zdebel netted twice in 13 U19 outings.
Germany are in Group D of the tournament, where they first face Venezuela on Sunday 1 September (kick-off 22:00 CEST). Next up are Nigeria on Thursday 5 September (00:00 CEST), before the final group match against South Korea on Saturday 7 September (22:00 CEST). Bender and Zdebel will therefore miss at least the Werkself's opening Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga game at SC Freiburg on Saturday 31 August (14:00 CEST) and the DFB Cup second round (7/8 September).
The round of 16 tie would be played on 12 or 13 September, with the quarter-finals on 15 and 16 September. The semi-finals are scheduled for the 18/19 September, followed by the third place playoff on 21 September and the final on Sunday 22 September (23:00 CEST).
Earlier this summer, a quintet of Bayer 04 Women players were involved in the U19 EURO with Germany, but goalkeeper Anne Moll, captain Paulina Bartz, Delice Boboy, Estrella Merino Gonzalez and Julia Mickenhagen failed to progress to the semi-finals after three group games. Mickenhagen and Merino Gonzalez, along with seven other players, are also on standby for the U-20 World Cup.
The traditional fan club meeting at the BayArena was held again this year. Management, coaches and players from Bayer 04 faced questions from over 400 fans on Saturday, 9 August in joint preparation for the new season. The key statements.
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The Werkself fell to defeat in their final friendly match of pre-season. The Black and Reds suffered a 2-0 (H-T: 1-0) defeat at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge. The hosts scored the first goal early on, with Estevao converting a rebound off the crossbar in the 18th minute. The second half was dominated by numerous substitutions on both sides, but the Blues still managed to increase their lead in the closing stages through Joao Pedro, who made it 2-0 in stoppage time (90’+1).
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen and goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky are ending their successful seven-year partnership. The 35-year-old Finnish international goalkeeper is joining French Ligue 1 and Champions League club AS Monaco with immediate effect.
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With the departure of Lukas Hradecky, a model pro with not a trace of extravagance, eccentricity or egomania, Bayer 04 is losing not only an outstanding goalkeeper and captain after a successful and historic seven-year partnership, but also a very fine character.
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