After a two-month long winter break, the women’s team of 1. FC Union Berlin will be back in action next Saturday, 18 February 2023. The second half of the season will kick off with a top-of-the-table clash in the Regionalliga Nordost, as Union welcome the league leaders, FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin. Kick-off at the Fritz-Lesch-Sportplatz in Dörpfeldstraße is at 2 pm.
The oponents
Even before the season began, Viktoria Berlin and 1. FC Union Berlin were considered big favourites in the battle for promotion, which both clubs proclaimed as their ultimate goal. After all, both Viktoria and Union had already announced in advance that they wanted to support their women’s teams ever more strongly in the future, and that they were aiming for promotion to the Bundesliga.
The approach of the two clubs, however, differed greatly somewhat in terms of how this should be achieved. While Union announced a gradual process of professionalisation, Viktoria placed their women’s department in the hands of (initially) six female investors. Though this has, in recent months, exploded to 87, among them numerous celebrities such as Franziska van Almsick, Maria Höfl-Riesch, Dunja Hayali and Carolin Kebekus. The club has already built up around one million euros in capital as a result.
As such, with half the season completed, they make up the top two in the league, even though Viktoria Berlin are ahead having won eleven of their twelve matches and are therefore first with 33 points. At the same time, they have scored more than anyone else with 81 goals, and can count the top scorer to their ranks in Aylin Yaren, who has already scored 23 this season.
With only eight goals conceded, the visitors are also among the most miserly teams at the back.
What is encouraging from Union’s point of view, however, is that Viktoria’s only loss came in the corresponding fixture, when, in the first game of the season, the team from south-west Berlin lost 2-1 to Union at their home stadium in Lichterfelde.
Despite this, Viktoria still have a four-point lead over Union, with a game in hand. It means that Union know they have to go on the attack on Saturday, as head coach Ailien Poese recently announced, confidently saying that they “of course want to attack the top of the table, and the starting signal for this should fall on Saturday.” T
Union’s goal is clear, to win every game in the second half of the season. Starting with a win on saturday, they would undoubtedly increase the pressure on the league leaders.
The head to head
As already mentioned, Union won the first leg in August. Viktoria took an early lead after a set piece, but Lisa Heiseler scored the winner goal from the penalty spot after Naika Reissner had turned the game around. The Köpenickers also won the preceding Regionalliga duel in March 2022, Heiseler scoring to make it 1-0 at Stadion Lichterfelde. Meanwhile, the last meeting at Dörpfeldstraße, which took place in October 2020, went to Viktoria, 2-1.
The teams have been meeting regularly in the Regionalliga Nordost since 2017. In nine matches, Union have won three, Viktoria four, and there were two draws.
The coach’s views ahead of the match
Ailien Poese is looking forward to the start of the second half of the season after the long winter break: “The preparation went very well and we were able to implement and consolidate a lot of what we had planned. Accordingly, we are looking forward to seeing the results on Saturday.”
The 38-year-old will have to do without Pauline Wimmer, Luca Scheel and Hannah Kratz due to injury. Lisa Görsdorf and Ginger Schulz will also be unable to play on Saturday.
Ticket information
The game is sold out, and there will be no further tickets available on the gate