FC Bayern Women face yet another crucial fixture as they host fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusen for Matchday 18 in the Google Pixel Bundesliga. Alexander Straus and his team are out to keep their grip on top spot and make it nine straight wins in the league on Sunday. Kick-off at the FC Bayern Campus is at 3.15pm CEST. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our preview.
Latest news from Bayern
Bayern’s most recent Bundesliga outing was a 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg that didn’t just stretch the team’s winning streak in the league to eight games but also extended their lead at the top of the table. With second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt dropping points late on at Freiburg, the defending champions now hold a six-point advantage over both Frankfurt and Wolfsburg in third going into Matchday 18.
Since that last Bundesliga outing, the Munich Frauen have also progressed to the final of the DFB Cup, coming from 2-0 down to beat Hoffenheim 3-2 thanks to a Pernille Harder hat-trick in last weekend’s semi-final. However, Bayern’s European hopes were ended at the quarter-final stage during the week with a 4-1 loss at Lyon in the second leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League tie.
🎥 Highlights of the reverse fixture in Leverkusen:
Opponent: Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen have sat in fourth place since Matchday 13 as they battle for a coveted Champions League qualification spot. Roberto Pätzold’s side most recently claimed an impressive 6-0 win over Werder Bremen – Bayern’s cup final opponents – to reduce the deficit to Frankfurt and Wolfsburg to just two points.
The reverse fixture in October turned into a thriller in Leverkusen as Bayern twice levelled after going behind through Sarah Zadrazil and then Georgia Stanway before Alara Şehitler’s first Bundesliga goal in added time earned the champions all three points.
Team news
Bayern are still without Lena Oberdorf (knee ligaments), Katharina Naschenweng (knee joint) and Stanway (knee ligaments). Momoko Tanikawa has also been ruled out for several weeks with an ankle injury. Captain Glódís Viggósdóttir (knee) and Jovana Damnjanović (bruised ribs) are doubts for Sunday.
Pre-match quotes
Alexander Straus: “Leverkusen play with a lot of confidence and enthusiasm. They’re aggressive, press well and always keep their intensity high. It could be a similar game to what we had against Hoffenheim in the cup, especially when we don’t have the ball. They also have good ideas in their build-up play. We need to be ready for that. The reverse fixture was very intense, as we all very much remember. And the second meeting will be similarly challenging.”
Sydney Lohmann: “The past has shown that games against Leverkusen are always tight and exciting. But we also know that we’ve been very good at home so far this season. So, I’m confident that we’ll play a good game and can beat Leverkusen with our fans behind us and the resulting confidence.”
Future matchday at the Campus
Fans at the FC Bayern Campus can expect special activities focused on sustainability for this ‘future matchday’. Use public transport or travel by bike. All cyclists will receive a little gift as a thank-you from our matchday presenter Viessmann.
The dates for Bayern’s final fixtures of 2024/25 have been confirmed:
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