BVB women aim to pull away from rivals Bielefeld in top-of-the-table clash | OneFootball

The scenarioThanks to their 6-0 away win at GSV Moers, the BVB women consolidated their second place in the table behind leaders 1. FC Köln U21 on the last matchday. Despite the convincing win against the bottom side of the league, Markus Högner was not entirely satisfied with his team’s performance: “The message at half-time was that we needed to play at a faster pace and get into the half-spaces more effectively. We managed to do that in the second half thanks to better positioning, which ultimately created more space and goal-scoring opportunities.”

Personnel mattersFor the match against the women of DSC Arminia Bielefeld, Markus Högner – apart from long-term absentees Dana Marquardt and Mia Scholle – has the full squad at his disposal. Mia Böger, who recently had to sit out due to a ligament injury in her ankle, is also back in the fold. “The match in Moers showed once again what incredible quality we have both on the pitch and on the bench,” said the coach happily. “Whilst this automatically creates more competition in training, it means we can keep raising our game in matches.”

The oppositionThe visitors from Bielefeld currently sit third in the Regionalliga West table and are just four points behind BVB, so they will be looking to capitalise on this opportunity. On average, coach Annabel Jäger’s side have conceded just under one goal per game so far; thanks in no small part to striker Jocelyn Hampel (19 goals), they have also been impressive in attack. Markus Högner warns: “We’re up against an experienced Regionalliga side with a well-drilled back four. Arminia will be looking to make the most of their last chance of the season on Sunday.” For this upcoming challenge, the manager is counting on his Borussia women’s home advantage and the momentum from recent weeks, which have seen four wins and a goal difference of 23-1.

Late draw in the reverse fixtureAround six months ago, the BVB women already learnt that Arminia Bielefeld’s women’s team are no easy opponents: although the Black and Yellows led 1-0 at half-time in the first leg and had more possession over the 90 minutes, they conceded an agonising equaliser in the second minute of stoppage time. “It was a very demanding week back then, with the cup tie against FC Bayern and another league match two days earlier,” recalls Markus Högner. “Now the situation is completely different, so we can prepare for the match in peace.”

The home match against the women of Arminia Bielefeld kicks off this coming Sunday (19 April) at at the Rote Erde Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 15:30 CEST. Tickets for the match are available online at the BVB ticket shop (seated: €5, standing: €3). Pluto TV will also be showing the match live and free of charge.Robert Targan