After the hard-fought 3-2 away win at SC Freiburg on matchday one in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga and the comfortable progress to the DFB Pokal Round of 16, Pätzold is full of anticipation for his first home game as the Leverkusen coach at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium: "We are looking forward to finally being able to show what we can do with the home atmosphere, in front of our fans and families," said the 45 year-old: "The pitch and the facilities in and around the UHS are outstanding and everything is set up for us to be able to play a good first home game."
The challenge facing the Werkself in this mission is big as the Eagles, whose additions in the summer include former Bayer 04 captain Elisa Senß, finished third in the table last season.
The Leverkusen coach, who expects to face a well-organised Frankfurt side, sees the game as "a first chance to see how far we can go this season" and he is looking to build on the style of play developed over the preseason: "We will try to put them under pressure, force them into making errors and play with the right mentality."
This could be a very special game for the Eintracht midfielder sense Senß. The Germany international returns to the first match at Leverkusen after two years at Bayer 04. Shortly before kick-off, Senß will be presented with the trophy as the winner of the vote for Bayer 04 Women's team Player of the Season 2023/24.
For the meeting with the team from Hessen, who missed out on qualifying for the group stage of the UEFA Women's Champions League last week after a 2-0 defeat against Sporting CF, and this week clocked up a 10-0 win against FFV Erfurt in the second round of the DFB Pokal, the Bayer 04 Women's team will again have to manage without Charlotte Voll, Melissa Friedrich (both training deficit), Paulina Bartz (illness), Sofie Zdebel and Loreen Bender (both at U20 World Cup).
Under the motto ‘Gemeinsam: Gutes Spiel’ (Together: Good game) Bayer 04 are sending out a message for sustainability as part of the DFB campaign matchday. In joint action, the clubs in the third tier and the Women's Bundesliga are standing up to their commitment to society, responsible management and the protection of the planet. All holders of tickets for the game at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium will be supporting a good cause on Sunday: Bayer 04 will donate two euros per ticket sold to the Leverkusen Women's Emergency Line, who will have an information stand at the stadium.
Tickets for the game can be bought HERE online or from the ticket office on the day of the match. This season, for the first time, there will be allocated seats, which are shown on the tickets. As usual, the match will be broadcast live by the streaming services MagentaSport and DAZN.
As with the other youth teams (U16 to U19), Bayer 04 are also relying on familiar faces—some in new roles—and fresh impetus from the coaching staff for the 2026/27 season in the younger age groups. An overview of the U11 to U15 teams.
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After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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As well as internal changes and familiar faces, Bayer 04 are also looking to bring fresh impetus to the coaching staff of the senior youth squads for the 2026/27 campaign. Here is an overview of the U19, U17 and U16 teams.
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Bayer 04 have signed 16-year-old defensive midfielder Kennet Eichhorn from Hertha Berlin. The Germany U17 international is joining the Werkself from the Berlin Bundesliga 2 club on a long-term contract. Eichhorn made 19 appearances for the Hertha Berlin first team last season, scoring two goals.
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