Head coach Robert de Pauw, who will leave Leverkusen at the end of the season alongside captain Elisa Senß, is aware of the emotional significance of this game. “Every player has to know what it means to walk out in the derby against Köln with the Bayer Cross on their chest. It’s one of the most important games of the year,” said the Dutchman. “We need to go into the game with an especially big emotiveness and passion. I want to see that in the challenges.” The 1-0 win in the reverse fixture in Cologne will serve as a good lesson for that. “That gave us a lot of confidence. We want to see that feeling again,” stressed de Pauw, who added: “I also want to remain unbeaten in derbies during my time at Leverkusen.”
He doesn’t want his impending departure at the end of the season to be a factor in the remaining games. “It doesn’t change much for me. The motivation to get the most out of the season is still huge. We’re in fifth place and want to remain there at the very least. That was our goal before the season,” de Pauw stated. The belief in that objective remains big after the recent goalless draw away at Freiburg where the team lacked “finesse in the final third”. “I have great confidence in the team that we can do it. The best players will continue to play every week.”
De Pauw believes that Köln, who are ninth in the table with 14 points, will be confident after their 2-1 win over Werder Bremen at the larger RheinEnergieStadion, but also stressed: “They can still feel the pressure in the relegation battle below and will come here motivated. De Pauw and his team want to put up resistance against the opposition’s “very busy” attack with January signing Carlotta Wamser by using “Bayer 04 style”.
The women will then face Essen away from home on Sunday, 24 March (6.30pm) before the international break. “The league’s final straight begins after the break. We need to create a good position for ourselves in the games against Köln and in Essen. They will be two heated fixtures,” concluded de Pauw.
Tickets for the derby at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion are available to buy HERE in the online shop or on the gate on Monday.
Twelve Werkself players have been selected for their national teams in the final international break of the year, with the Leverkusen's international players competing in the final group matches in the UEFA Nations League, in qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations. We round up all the results involving Bayer 04 players here.
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Five players in the Bayer 04 Women squad have been selected for the Germany U23s for two international fixtures. That was announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Tuesday afternoon.
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The Bayer 04 Fanzone opens in two days time on Wednesday, 20 November in the South Stand at the BayArena. Bayer 04 fans will be able to enjoy a state-of-the-art, interactive shopping and fan experience covering more than 700 square metres. Black and Reds supporters are warmly welcome to spend an exciting day in this brand-new area at the stadium.
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It is already a fact that the Bayer 04 Women have had their best Hinrunde ever. The Werkself are fourth in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga on 23 points two behind the top team. Tickets are now on sale for the final games of the year. The tickets for the last two home matches in 2024 at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium are available now. First up on Friday, 6 December (kick-off: 18.30 CET) are last season's runners-up VfL Wolfsburg and that is followed by the home game at the start of the Rückrunde against SC Freiburg on Saturday, 14 December (12.00 CET).
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