VfL Wolfsburg Women travel to FC Bayern Munich on Saturday 16 November (14:00 CET) in a DFB Cup last-16 tie that has more than an air of a final about it. For one of these two heavyweights of the German women’s game, the dream of reaching the competition’s showpiece in Cologne will end when they meet at the FC Bayern Campus next weekend.
The game is a repeat of last year’s semi-final, which the She-Wolves won 4-0. Head coach Stephan Lerch’s side, who have lifted the trophy in each of the past five seasons, are currently on a remarkable 26-match unbeaten run in the competition.
She-Wolves confident
“Before the international break we’ve overcome a difficult situation with a lot of injuries, won our games very convincingly and given ourselves confidence in the process,” said Lerch. “We want to take that confidence into this game. Bayern will do everything they can to become the first team to beat us this season. In this competition, we all know it’s possible to win a title [by winning] relatively few games.”
Injuries subsiding
VfL’s international players have emerged unscathed from representing their respective countries, while several of the Green-and-Whites’ long-term absentees are closing in on a return to action. Lara Dickenmann (appendectomy) has been involved in parts of team training and Svenja Huth is working on her fitness following a knee ligament injury, but neither player will be involved against Bayern.
Fridolina Rolfö is also back in training after straining a ligament in her right foot, but Lerch did not reveal whether the former Bayern player will be fit enough to visit her old stomping ground. Almuth Schult, meanwhile, continues to train separately after undergoing surgery on her shoulder.
