FC Bayern Women on the road again in Essen
FC Bayern Women on the road again in Essen Fresh from a 3-0 win away at Köln last Sunday, FC Bayern Women now make the trip to Essen on Friday evening for Matchday 21 in the Google Pixel Bundesliga. Kick-off at the Stadion an der Hafenstraße is at 18:30 CET. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our preview.
Latest news from Bayern José Barcala ’s side ran out comfortable victors at Köln last weekend, with Pernille Harder scoring a first-half brace before Linda Dallmann rounded off the scoring inside just 38 minutes. Last week Bayern won by the same 3-0 scoreline at Hamburg in the DFB Cup quarter-finals. They will play their semi-final at home to Essen on 6 April.
Opponent: Essen Essen were beaten 4-0 away at Hoffenheim in their last league outing and currently sit 13th in the table with 12 points from 20 games. However, Heleen Jaques’ side did produce an upset in the cup quarter-finals by beating Werder Bremen thanks to Ella Touon’s goal, setting up that semi-final clash in Munich. Bayern have dominated this fixture in the past, winning 32 out of 43 Bundesliga meetings, drawing six and losing only five.
Team news Coach Barcala remains without Sarah Zadrazil and Lena Oberdorf as they recover from their cruciate ligament injuries. Alara Şehitler ( partial ACL tear ), Klara Bühl ( muscular ), Jovana Damnjanović ( workload ) and Katharina Naschenweng ( knee ) are also unavailable. Momoko Tanikawa is still with Japan at the Women’s Asian Cup and playing in Saturday’s final.
Pre-match quotes José Barcala: “Essen are a very flexible opponent who will pose a demanding challenge with their back five and variety of pressing. We know they’re brave at home and can play in an aggressive way and close down the spaces between the lines. We’ve prepared for that.