Match point in the title race! This weekend, in the penultimate match of the 2022/23 FLYERALARM Women's Bundesliga, FC Bayern Women have a great chance to become German champions ahead of schedule. The Reds face Bayer 04 Leverkusen in their last away game this Saturday, May 20. Kick-off at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium is at 13:00 CEST. The situation, pre-match quotes, team news - you'll find all the info in our preview.
The situation
Thanks to a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim last time out, head coach Alexander Straus' side extended their winning streak in the league to 15 games. Lea Schüller scored the goal of the day from a Klara Bühl corner. Frankfurt's win over Wolfsburg two days later means Bayern currently have a four-point lead over second-placed VfL, giving them the chance to claim the fifth German championship in the club's history on Saturday at Leverkusen.
The opponents
Leverkusen are currently in fifth place with 26 points and, following two straight defeats, they recently celebrated a resounding 5-1 win at Potsdam, who had already been relegated. With an average age of just 23.5, the Werkself are the second-youngest team in the league. Only SGS Essen top that figure (23.1 years old). For Bayer, the last two matchdays are all about defending their place in the table against sixth-placed SC Freiburg.
The statistics
The Munich team won the reverse fixture 2-0 at the FC Bayern Campus in December. Overall, the statistics from FCB's point of view make good reading: of 23 encounters, the Reds have come out on top in 20 games and have lost just three times. FC Bayern women also recorded the highest win in their Bundesliga history against Leverkusen in 2018, with Lina Magull scoring her maiden league goal for FCB from the spot in the 10-1 away win.
The team news
Long-term injurees Linda Dallmann (syndesmosis ligament tear), Giulia Gwinn (cruciate ligament tear) and Franziska Kett (shoulder injury) are not available against Leverkusen. In addition, Tainara is still out due to a muscular injury. Saki Kumagai returns following suspension for a red card against SGS Essen.
The pre-match quotes
Head coach Alexander Straus: "I have a lot of respect for Leverkusen, they're enjoying a good season. Leverkusen are a good team who play good football, so it'll be an exciting match and a difficult away game for us."
Sydney Lohmann: "Leverkusen are an awkward team to play, who are able to put in a strong performance on a good day. They're a young team with technically skilled players who want to play out from the back. We have to try and stop their passing game and press them well. But at the end of the day, we have to focus on ourselves, start the game well and find our rhythm. When we do that I'm always convinced we'll score one more goal than the opposition."
Carolin Simon: "It's looking very good for us in terms of the title. We're aware we have to keep delivering and that nothing has been decided yet. The game in Essen showed that no opponents want to make it easy for us, so we started the training week focused and I'm not worried that we might underestimate any opponents."
Fan information:
The Bundesliga match will be broadcast as usual on FC Bayern.tv live and, in Germany, on Magenta Sport. In addition, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) will broadcast the match live on TV and in a free stream on sportschau.de. For more information and exciting insights, visit the FC Bayern Women website and social media channels.
Check out the brand new FC Bayern home jersey for the 2023/24 season: