In the women’s Bundesliga, VfL Wolfsburg welcomes FC Bayern Munich on Saturday (March 23, 2024, 6 p.m.). Almost the last chance for the Wolfsburg women in the fight for the title.
The starting position: Bavaria is shining, Wolfsburg is stumbling
The signs couldn’t be more different. While Munich has a firm grip on the top of the table after a brilliant 5-0 win against RB Leipzig, Wolfsburg suffered a 2-1 defeat at TSG Hoffenheim. With six match days to go, Munich is four points ahead. Was that it for the next title for VfL?
The duel on Saturday could bring a preliminary decision for the championship title – or make the end of the season really exciting again. “We want to win on Saturday, no question about it. After last week’s results, that would be another important milestone on the way to successfully defending our title,” Bayern boss Herbert Hainer told kicker. And Hainer goes even further: He wants to win the double and replace Wolfsburg as title hunters.
“We want to replace Wolfsburg as number one. We’ve currently done it – and we’ll do everything we can to keep it that way.”
Bavaria President Herbert Hainer
Despite their recent defeat, Wolfsburg is by no means hiding. With the slogan “Mia san hia at home” they are sending a declaration of war to Munich. In order to keep the points, the team must be “well coordinated, use our chances with full conviction, and consistently finish them,” said midfielder Chantal Hagel before the game.
“Keep going and stick with it” is their motto, after all, the lost game against Hoffenheim was by no means bad. The team has a clear goal for Saturday: Wolfsburg wants to inspire the more than 20,000 fans in the stadium, and the best way to do that is with a win.
The players: goal scorers among themselves
The squads of both teams bring together world-class players, including many national players. Lena Oberdorf, who will switch sides in the summer, will be particularly in focus. But she’s still playing in Wolfsburg, as the globally sought-after midfielder made it clear: “Here and now I’m playing for VfL until the end of the season, and we have the opportunity to win two more titles. My goal is at the end of the season “To celebrate these two titles with my teammates – and I will give everything to that end until the end,” she told Sport-Bild.
Two top contenders for the top scorer trophy also meet: In the Bundesliga, Wolfsburg’s Ewa Pajor is ahead of Lea Schüller (eight goals) with ten goals. Pajor is more efficient and needs significantly fewer attempts to score her goals. Bayern have the more dangerous attacking duo with Schüller and Pernille Harder, which was impressively evident in the 5-0 win against Leipzig when both scored twice.
The coaches: young Dutchman against quiet Norwegian
Wolfsburg against Bayern also means Tommy Stroot against Alexander Straus. Most recently, the 35-year-old Dutchman Stroot, who took over VfL in 2021 with little Bundesliga experience, came under some criticism. First the exit from qualifying for the UEFA Women’s Champions League, then the mistake against Bayern in November: Wolfsburg lost its usual dominance. And his top players like Lena Oberdorf.
The game of the she-wolves seems to be stagnating. In the end, no surprises were to be expected from the she-wolves and sometimes the decisive game idea was simply missing.
Different in Munich. Alexander Straus took over Bayern as head coach in 2022 and gave them a new identity. Bayern’s ball control is the best in the league, their calm structure and dominant counter-pressing make FCB a dangerous opponent.
The only drawback: There could be a few more goals. Compared to Wolfsburg, Bayern have seven goals fewer. However, Straus’ team had enough shots on goal, but they lacked efficiency.
The venue: Record-breaking in a large stadium
The exceptions are increasingly becoming the rule: in Munich, Leipzig, Frankfurt and also Wolfsburg, women regularly play in the men’s large stadium. There they not only want to keep the dream of the championship title alive, but also break the next fan record at home.
Around a year ago, 22,617 spectators saw the Champions League game against Arsenal Women. Last week the club announced that 20,000 tickets for the game against Bayern had already been sold. That doesn’t fill the stadium with a capacity of 29,000 seats, but the atmosphere should be at its peak.