Today Wednesday, 24 July 2024, the women’s team of 1. FC Union Berlin will test against the Polish champions Pogon Szczecin. The match will be played at 14.00 on the Bad Saarow sports field.
Opponent’s check
In a close head-to-head race, the women’s team from Pogon Szczecin secured the Ekstraliga Kobiet title for the first time in the club’s history last season. After 22 match days, Szczecin was level on points with GKS Katowice, but had a better goal difference of 14 goals. As a result, Pogon Szczecin will take part in the Champions League qualifying round this season for the first time. The team will face Swiss champions Servette FC at the beginning of September.
Last season the top scorer in the team of coach Piotr Leczynski, who took over last summer, was Natalia Oleszkiewicz. The 22-year-old scored 15 goals and was therefore called up for the Polish national team for the first time. She made her competitive debut at the beginning of June in the European Championship qualifier against Germany, coming on as a substitute in the 81st minute.
Meanwhile, the most experienced player in the team is captain Emilia Zdunek. The 31-year-old midfielder has already made 27 appearances for the Polish national team and has also made eight Champions League appearances.
Balance sheet
The two teams already played against each other last Summer. In what was then the first test match of the Summer preparations, Union won 2:1 in Szczecin thanks to goals from Dina Orschmann and Hannah Kratz. Natalia Oleszkiewicz had scored the equaliser in between.
Personnel
Head coach Ailien Poese will be without Anna Weiß, Maria Cristina Lange and Antonia Halverkamps on Wednesday.
Voice before the game
‘We’re looking forward to testing ourselves against the Polish champions and Champions League participants as part of our short training camp, so that we can be challenged again after the good start against Wolfsburg. Toughness in tackles, different pressing strategies, but also the possession game will be the focus in various phases of the match in order to be able to make further adjustments and gain important insights for our own personnel composition. ’, says Ailien Poese, looking ahead to the reunion with the Polish champions.
Service information
The match against Pogon Szczecin will kick off on Wednesday at 14.00 at the Bad Saarow sports ground. The entrance to the pitch is via Steinstraße. Admission is free.