"The games have always been evenly balanced recently. Regardless of the situation in the table, there’s lots of commitment and motivation on both sides, so the games are correspondingly hard-fought," says coach Roberto Pätzold: "The derby is even more important due to the situation in the table, as we are playing against a direct rival. In the next two home games before the break, it's important for us to establish a good position." While the Bayer 04 Women currently occupy fifth place, FC Köln, currently eighth on 25 points, could overtake them with a win on Friday night. One week after the derby, the next clash awaits on Sunday 22 February (14:00 CET) with a home game against TSG Hoffenheim, who are currently third.
FC Köln, meanwhile, have earned their strong position primarily thanks to their "very physical style of play", according to the coach: "They're having a great season and are a very tough opponent. They were particularly effective in the Hinrunde thanks to their striker Sandra Maria Jessen and a clear-cut style of play aiming straight for goal. When pressing, they create a one-on-one situation in every position. That makes it very difficult for opponents to come up with footballing solutions."
Last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt prevented the Werkself, who started the new year with two wins, from improving their position even further. "Apart from the result, we can take a lot of positives from the game. Our pressing worked, we repeatedly forced them into mistakes, had more possession and an even share of chances," said Pätzold: "Apart from the counterattacks in the final phase, we hardly allowed Frankfurt to get anything out of the game - and we even scored a goal that was within the rules, but unfortunately it was chalked off. Such close games are often decided by little things." That also goes hand in hand with a demand on his team for the derby: "We need the same desire we showed last weekend in the game against FC Köln. After the defeat, the battle for third place is no longer completely in our own hands. We want to be ready for any slip-ups from the competition."
Also encouraging is the energy shown in the Hinrunde, when the Black and Reds came back from two goals down at the Franz Kremer Stadium to level at 2-2 thanks in part to the late equaliser from Katharina Piljic from around 50 metres out. "That should give us confidence. We're prepared for a game with lots of duels and we want to control FC Köln even better than FC Nürnberg in the last home game," said the coach: "Both teams will attack with a lot of pace and the team with the greater resilience will come out on top. We are confident it will be us."
It remains to be seen if Claudia Wenger (injured following the Eintracht Frankfurt game) will be available for this game. Vanessa Haim (muscle injury), captain Friederike Repohl (torn ligament), Charlotte Voll (shoulder injury) and Shen Menglu (rehab training after torn cruciate) are all sidelined.
Derby tickets can be purchased in advance HERE from the online shop, and there will also be a matchday ticket office open from 17:00 CET. To avoid long waiting times, Bayer 04 recommend buying tickets in advance online.
Werkself Live for derby matchday:
The final whistle of the current 2025/26 season marks the end of a unique partnership for Bayer 04 Leverkusen. After more than three decades of collaboration and highly eventful times, the Bundesliga football club and the private brewery Bitburger are going their separate ways.
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A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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