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.
Six points from three games: The Bayer 04 Women have made a successful start to the Bundesliga season. As part of the first double fixture week in the new Bundesliga campaign, coach Roberto Pätzold's team face last season's third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt at home at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium just four days after the hard-earned 1-0 win at FC Nürnberg. Last term’s two hard-fought games (2-2 and 2-3 from a Leverkusen perspective) also suggest an evenly balanced encounter on Thursday, 26 September (kick-off: 19:00 CEST/live on MagentaSport and DAZN).
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The Werkself are away to FC St. Pauli on Bundesliga Matchday 5. The game is on Saturday, 27 September (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). The Bayer 04 Fan Liaison team brings you the latest information on the fixture at the Millerntor Stadion…
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Former Werkself star Jorginho visited Leverkusen at the weekend accompanied by children from his social project 'Bola Pra Frente' in Rio de Janeiro. The 1994 World Cup winner with Brazil and his group were guests at Bayer 04's Bundesliga home match against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Sunday and the first team training session on Monday. At the subsequent meet & greet with Werkself professional Arthur, a few tears of joy were shed by some of the beaming children. "I always feel very good when I come here, I really feel at home here," said the now 61-year-old Jorginho, beaming with joy and gratitude on his return to the BayArena.
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A late equaliser denied Bayer 04 all three points at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach on Sunday evening. Despite that disappointment, coach Kasper Hjulmand and his players also expressed their optimism going forward.
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