On Saturday there will be a big showdown in the Bundesliga. In front of a sold-out home crowd, the soccer players from FC Bayern Munich meet VfL Wolfsburg (5:55 p.m., ARD). The reigning champions currently lead the league with 42 points, but only have a two-point advantage over their direct competition from the south. The duel between the two giants of women’s football will therefore be decisive in the race for the championship.
“This close competition is exactly what a player wants all year round,” says VfL striker Rebecka Blomqvist ahead of the big game. It was not foreseeable that it would be this exciting again in the second half of the season. By December, the Wolfsburg women had gained a comfortable lead of five points over Bayern. However, somewhat surprisingly, VfL lost 2-1 to TSG Hoffenheim at the beginning of March and, after months of absolute dominance in the league, suffered their first defeat in a home game in over a year.
“Of course we’d still like to have a five-point lead,” admits Blomqvist, who also plays for the Swedish national team. “But now we have it in our own hands. We can restore the old lead on Saturday. We’re very focused on the game and hopefully we can increase the gap at the top of the table.”
This close competition is exactly what a player wants all year round.
Rebecka Blomqviststriker at VfL Wolfsburg
The 25-year-old doesn’t want to dwell on the defeat against Hoffenheim. “It wasn’t a good thing. But we have learned our lessons from it. We proved that when we beat Leverkusen 4-1 the week after. That is also part of our winning mentality, which makes this team so special.”
Wolfsburg narrowly won the first leg
The VfL Wolfsburg team around head coach Tommy Stroot seems to have shaken off the unfortunate defeat against TSG long ago and is now looking with great self-confidence to the duel on Saturday, for which 2,500 fans are expected on the FC Bayern campus.
What did the Swede take away from previous encounters with the Munich team? “They were very different and close games against them,” explains Blomqvist. “It’s always physically and tactically difficult to play against FC Bayern. We have to execute our game plan really well. They are a team with good quality in all positions.”
The last meeting between the two teams in October was narrowly won by the Wolfsburg team 2-1 in the large VfL Arena. In the second half, however, the Munich team were close to equalizing. A strong Wolfsburg defense and the guests’ failure to convert chances made the difference back then.
It was recently announced that Blomqvist, who moved to Wolfsburg in winter 2020, will leave the club this summer. “I’ve developed a lot since I came to Germany,” she says. “I’ve played in different offensive positions and I’m finding my way around there better now. The move to VfL Wolfsburg was a big step after leaving my club in Sweden (BK Häcken, editor’s note), especially in terms of sporting expectations, physical and tactical aspects.
However, Saturday’s clash against FC Bayern will not be Blomqvist’s last. The two teams will meet again in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup on April 15th. The two German representatives could also play against each other in the semi-finals of the Champions League, provided they qualify for the next round.
Will Blomqvist trust VfL to win the treble this season? “Definitive. We’re good enough to achieve that goal.” A win against Bayern on Saturday would be the first step in the right direction for Wolfsburg.
Source: Tagesspiegel
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
