Thursday , March 28 2024

Teams gear up for intriguing Women’s DFB-Pokal semifinals!

The German Women’s Cup (DFB-Pokal der Frauen) semifinals will take place on Sunday, April 15 as four leading teams gear up for two intriguing matches.

Semifinal 1 | VfL Wolfsburg vs SGS Essen
Defending champions and Women’s Bundesliga league leaders VfL Wolfsburg will play host to SGS Essen at the AOK Stadion in Wolfsburg in the first semi-final match. Wolfsburg are expected to face a tough opposition from fellow Bundesliga side Essen and head coach Stephan Lerch is fully aware of the upcoming challenge.

„Essen have immense quality on the attack. Lea Schüller, Linda Dallmann and Nicole Anyomi are all players with great pace and individual class. They have good players at the back too though. Essen have made some very good signings in recent weeks. They have achieved some good results and shown strong displays. However, I believe my players all have their own high level of motivation to perform at their very best in such games and deliver,“ Lerch told VfL’s media team.

„We need to remain compact in defence and hit on the attack with tempo. In this game the minor details will be decisive. Telling situations can be created through small errors or lapses in concentration. We must hold our nerve, concentrate on the job at hand and avoid making errors, whilst forcing mistakes from our opponents.“

„In a cup semi-final, I expect all players from both teams to be extremely highly motivated. It’s the game that leads to the final in Cologne. That is a highlight and one you want to experience,“ he added.

SGS Essen head coach Daniel Kraus is keeping calm ahead of the away game: „We look forward to the upcoming Cup semi-final against VfL Wolfsburg after successful cup game we had against SC Freiburg. We have played in Neubrandenburg in Round 2 and against Werder Bremen in the Round of 16. So we are used to play away games and we again look forward to the massive support by our fans. You can notice the pleasant anticipation while talking to the players, club officials and fans.“

„Many players from the current squad have already played the final in Cologne in 2014 and they know the indescribable good feeling. There is no better motivation than to replicate this. We have of course received a tough challenge in an away game against the double winner. But we are aware of our chance and we will go into this game with the same attitude we had against SC Freiburg. I’m happy that many of our fans will travel to Wolfsburg to cheer us. We would like to take this final step with their support,“ SGS captain Ina Lehmann told.

Semifinal 2 | FC Bayern Munich vs 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam
FC Bayern Munich will lock horns with Turbine Potsdam in the second semi-final of the day. The will be played at the Grünwalder Stadion and promises to be a closely contested affair between two powerhouses of German women’s football.

„Potsdam suffered their first defeat of the season only recently – and it was even an unnecessary one. We are facing a really tough opponent. But they will also have great respect for us, if they followed our last few matches,“ Bayern captain Melanie Behringer told the club website.

„I’m very satisfied with the progress of the team. Therefore I expect high morale and passion. The team need to deliver the confidence and the joy of playing we displayed recently. You need the absolute desire to win in a knock-out match. I do not see any problems, if the team nurtures the own game. The last game against Sand was the best one in the whole season to my opinion. The conversion of chances needs to improve. But the team is performing with a force which any opponent need to get over,“ she added.

„Bayern Munich is a very resilient team. They have achieved good results in the last few weeks after the defeat against SC Freiburg. The team is well-staffed on all positions and therefore dangerous at any stage of the game,“ Turbine Potsdam’s head coach Matthias Rudolph stated.

Turbine Potsdam midfielder Viktoria Schwalm added: „Both teams want to reach the final and both will do anything to for it. It will be a game on equal terms. I look forward to it.“

The semifinal matches will kick-off simultaneously at 15.10 CET and both matches will be broadcasted live by German national tv channel ARD.

About Arunava Chaudhuri

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