The path to UEFA Women’s Champions League glory takes the She-Wolves to Florence on their first stop this season, with the team facing ACF Fiorentina on Wednesday 18 September in the first leg of the second qualifying round (kick-off at 20:00 CEST, live on Wölfe TV). The second leg with then be played in Wolfsburg a week later.
League title and two cup wins
Founded in 1926, Associazione Calcio Firenze Fiorentina have long been an established name in the men’s game. The women’s football section is a lot more recent, having been set up in July 2015. The team finished its debut season in Serie A in third spot but the next year turned out to be their most successful to date, winning the cup and also the league, where they won 21 of 22 matches. Fiorentina retained the cup the following year, and won the Italian Super Cup in 2018.
Last season, the Viola again finished third in Serie A, which sent them to the mini-tournament to book their spot in this second qualifying round of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. This they duly did, defeating both Danish side Brondby IF and Dutch club Ajax 1-0 to secure their fifth appearance in the Champions League.
International flavour
The Green-and-Whites will get to see a former acquaintance in Tuscany in the form of striker Madelen Janogy, who had a short spell with VfL from January to July 2020. After then heading back to her home country, the Swede now finds herself in Florence. Fiorentina also have a German international in their ranks in Stephanie Breitner, who cut her teeth in Hoffenheim and won the U17 European Championship with Germany back in 2009. Fiorentina have quite a cosmopolitan squad overall, with VfL head coach Tommy Stroot describing them as “not your typical Italian team”.
