Any fans who want to support the Werkself Women at the BayArena on Tuesday evening can get tickets in advance online:
Tickets are also available in the Bayer 04 shops at the BayArena and in the city centre, costing between €3 and €10. The ticket office at the stadium will open on the day at 5.30pm.
“The women have earned the right to play on the BayArena stage after all these years,” said Bayer 04 CEO Fernando Carro of the change of stadium. Thomas Eichin, who oversees the women’s section, added: “It’s not about any sort of records but offering our women a platform in this important game so they can move further into the limelight.” You can read more about this temporary move into the BayArena HERE.
Coach de Pauw is looking forward to a special game. “We can feel a normal level of tension, but obviously everyone’s really up for playing in the big stadium,” said the Dutchman. His team got a first taste of their new surroundings with a training session inside the BayArena on Sunday. “There’s real excitement. The feeling inside the team is great. We couldn’t wish for better conditions. There will be more people there than for other games. That creates great motivation to show what we can do, and doing it in a knockout game like this,” the boss added.
The circumstances should in no way deter his players from their usual preparation for their opponents. “The focus is clearly on the sporting side of things. A lot of things will be the same as always. We have our normal dressing room and a familiar opponent,” said de Pauw, adding: “The pitch in the BayArena is fast, which benefits our attacking style of play and gives us additional opportunities.” The aim is to “get the people in the stadium behind us and give us an extra boost of energy”.
He expects a “combative” performance from Essen, who are two points and two places below Bayer 04 in eighth in the Google Pixel Bundesliga, similar to the 0-0 draw in the first meeting in the league this season. “The fact that things haven't gone quite so smoothly for them recently doesn't matter in the cup. It will be a meeting of equals, the difference between the two teams is manageable,” emphasised the 42-year-old. “It’ll be important for us to keep the ball better than in the 0-0 draw in the league and to play more cleverly through the lines.”
After 16 first-team players were away with their national teams during the international break, de Pauw had his full squad back together at the end of last week. “We had a few more days than usual after an international break when the league normally continues straight away. That certainly did us good,” he stated. The coach will have to do without Danish winger Cecilie Johansen, who is out due to illness, for the mission to reach the semi-finals. Janou Levels, on the other hand, will return to the squad for the first time since November after months of hip problems.
The draw for the semi-finals will be made immediately after the game, live on TV.
The first and so far only time the women had played a competitive match at the BayArena was in November 2009. The Werkself lost 2-0 to Duisburg in the DFB-Pokal round of 16 in front of around 3,000 spectators. Turid Knaak, who later joined Leverkusen, was on the pitch for the visitors that day and is looking forward to the women's second BayArena appearance more than 14 years later...
A training course for external coaches covering age groups U8 to U13 on 'Effective coaching in junior football' was held at the BayArena this week. The course, with this initial event ahead of a series of training units, was aimed at coaches and sporting management of clubs in the area of Leverkusen. It was very well received.
Show moreTo gain access to the stadium as a member of the media on Werkself home matchdays you need accreditation from Bayer 04. From now, you can submit the application for accreditation exclusively via our online registration form at bayer04.de.
Show moreBayer 04 are away to Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 of the 2024/25 DFB Pokal. The match is on Tuesday, 3 December (kick-off: 20.45 CET) at the Allianz Arena. Here is the ticket information.
Show moreThe Bayer 04 delegation, led by sporting managing director Simon Rolfes, landed in São Paulo on Tuesday, 12 November. Of course, safe and sound in their luggage: the Meisterschale, the DFB Pokal trophy and the 2024 Supercup. The group had a number of events in the vibrant city with a population of 12 million.
Show moreIn keeping with the Trophy Tour in Brazil starting today, Bayer04.de looks back at the long-standing link between the Werkself and Brazilian players. The list is long as well as impressive. 24 Brazilian players have worn the Bayer 04 Leverkusen jersey from 1987 to the present day. Tita was the first under the Bayer Cross having come to Germany after ten years at top Brazilian clubs Vasco da Gama, Flamengo Rio de Janeiro and Gremio Porto Alegre. He played a crucial part in the Werkself winning their first major trophy in that season: the UEFA Cup in 1988.
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