After the comfortable 6-1 win at Nürnberg and the narrow 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, the final fixture of 2025 is next up for VfL Wolfsburg Women. The She-Wolves entertain Hamburger SV at the AOK Stadion on Sunday 21 December (kick-off 18:30 CET) as the second half of the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga begins.
At his pre-match press conference, head coach Stephan Lerch discussed…
… team news: “Caitlin Dijkstra is out. Kessya Bussy, Guro Bergsvand and Justine Kielland all have knocks and are doubtful.”
… HSV: “Hamburg have tweaked things over the course of the season. The team have adapted, the system has been changed – partly due to personnel. We expect to come up against a compact defence, with which they’ll try to restrict our chances through consistent work without the ball, and they’ll try to take their chances effectively. It will be interesting to see what plan they come up with for us.”
… the 3-3 draw in Hamburg at the start of the season: “We were 3-1 up in the first match but weren’t ruthless enough in some situations. We want to take the lessons from the first meeting into this one. We expect different circumstances on Sunday: the team is more settled, the playing philosophy is more clearly identifiable and the belief in our own qualities has grown noticeably.”
… the difference between Bundesliga and Champions League: “Obviously there are differences, but one thing is the same: we have to give 100 percent in every competition. In the Bundesliga, though, you’re not so directly punished as you are at the top level in the Champions League. The match against Chelsea showed how important every action is. That’s why playing with purpose and maximum concentration are essential in every game.”
