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The women’s team of 1. FC Union Berlin will face SV Werder Bremen at the official season opener at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei next Saturday, 3 August 2024. The friendly against the Bundesliga club will kick off at 13:00 and is part of a double matchday with the men’s side facing Olympique Lyonnais at 17:00.
The opponents
SV Werder Bremen have played continuously in the Bundesliga since 2020 and have established themselves in the top flight in recent years under head coach Thomas Horsch. In the first two seasons, they finished in 9th, the first place above the relegation play-off spot. In the 2022/23 season, the team improved to 8th before achieving the best finish in their Bundesliga history last season when they reached 7th in the table. For the first time, the club from the banks of the Weser had nothing to do with the relegation battle.
The side in the famous green and white have made some high-calibre additions for the new season. Larissa Mühlhaus, last year’s top scorer in the 2. Bundesliga, was signed from their northern rivals in Hamburg where the 21-year-old scored 20 goals for HSV last season. In addition, Lara Schmidt and Amira Arfaoui (from1. FC Nürnberg), Caroline Siems and Verena Wieder (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) as well as Sharon Beck (1. FC Köln), all players with Bundesliga experience, have joined the team. The latter alone has made almost 150 Bundesliga appearances for Essen, Leverkusen, Hoffenheim, Freiburg and Köln. However, the 29-year-old will be out for a few months due to a cruciate ligament rupture suffered in May.
In terms of departures, Werder had to say goodbye to regular players Chiara Hahn, who moved to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, and Nina Lührßen. Lührßen left the club for Eintracht Frankfurt after twelve years and 138 competitive matches.
SV Werder Bremen, who face VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga opener at the beginning of September, began their summer preparations a fortnight ago. Since then, the team have already played two friendlies where they have already shown some strong early form. A 12-0 win against Union’s recent play-off opponents SV Henstedt-Ulzburg was followed by a 3-0 victory against second-division side Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend.
The head to head
The clubs have already met in the last two summers, with Union gaining a lot of confidence from these encounters. In August 2022, the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Last year, the Union women won 4-1 thanks to goals from Athanasia Moraitou, Nour Youssef and a brace from Sarah Abu Sabbah.
Personnel
Head coach Ailien Poese will be without Maria Cristina Lange and Latoya Bach on Saturday.
The coach’s views ahead of the game
“We’re looking forward to the season opener in our stadium,” said Union’s head coach, Ailien Poese, ahead of Saturday’s clash. “Werder Bremen are very good opponents who finished the last Bundesliga season in commanding fashion. With their direct and tough style of play and the changes of rhythm in their game, they will present us with challenges which we want to tackle with clear, hard defensive work, while utilising the opportunities we have from our own possession of the ball.”
Service information
The stadium gates open at 12:00. Tickets for the match, which are also valid for the men’s team’s match against Olympique Lyonnais afterwards, are on sale. After the game, the official team presentations for the men’s and women’s teams will take place at 15.30 and 16:00. All information can be found here.
