Pre-Match Report
BVB Women's Winning Streak Set to Continue in Recklinghausen
The scenario
The away game against 1. FFC Recklinghausen, originally scheduled for late November, was moved up to November 1 at the home team’s request. The BVB Women head to their local rivals with a perfect record and, after ten wins in ten games, boast a goal differential of 48–0. Head coach Markus Högner, however, described last weekend’s match against SGS Essen’s youth team (1–0) as a “wild game” at times: “In our post-match analysis, we concluded that, unlike in previous matches, we lacked the necessary control of the game. We weren’t able to put pressure on the opponent as planned, which repeatedly allowed Essen to mount dangerous offensive attacks.”
Roster
All the players who were on the roster last week are also ready for the match against Recklinghausen. Joining them is Jenske Steenwijk, who is fit again after recovering from the flu. Sara Ito, whose game against Essen ended early due to a laceration on her head, is also available: “Her substitution was purely a precaution,” said Högner. Goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger also began participating in team training on a limited basis this week. The Austrian suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament about a year ago during training with her former club, Arsenal WFC. “With her charisma and experience, Manuela brings tremendous added value to the team,” her coach said happily.
Opponent
1. FFC Recklinghausen is having a strong Regionalliga season and currently sits in fourth place in the standings with seven wins and two losses. BVB won both matches against them last season by scores of 6–1 and 6–0; however, according to Markus Högner, these results say nothing about the actual quality of their next opponent: “We’re facing an experienced team against whom we can’t afford to make any mistakes. That’s why we need to come out strong right from the start to get off to a good start on a small artificial turf field.” In their last home game, coach Björn Sobotzki’s team defeated fellow mid-table rival Arminia Bielefeld 4–3.
Rematch After Cup Success
Borussia Dortmund’s women’s soccer team already faced off against 1. FFC Recklinghausen a good eight weeks ago—in the opening match of the Westphalia Cup in early September, the Black and Yellows secured a 6–0 home victory. Ahead of this Sunday’s league rematch, Markus Högner now expects “a definitely different game—you just have to look at the opponent’s recent results. “Some of their players have already competed in higher leagues—if you don’t stay focused, you can quickly run into trouble.”
Kickoff for the match against 1. FFC Recklinghausen is Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. The game will be played on the artificial turf field at Walter-Nilius-Sportpark in Oer-Erkenschwick (Steinrapener Weg 80). Tickets at the box office there cost €5; children 6 and under get in free.
Robert Targan