Sunday against Jena: Wolfsburg’s soccer players start running for the big games
In a little over two weeks, the footballers of VfL Wolfsburg will say goodbye during the winter break – with FC Carl Zeiss Jena, Geneva, Leverkusen, Chelsea and Potsdam, coach Tommy Stroot’s team still has to master a packed program. On Sunday (1 p.m., live on Magenta Sport) With the guests from Thuringia, a mandatory task awaits the leaders of the women’s Bundesliga at the beginning. Due to the current Corona rules, only 50 percent of the seats in the AOK stadium may be occupied at home games, a new advance sale for the game against FC Carl Zeiss Jena started on Friday, up to 350 spectators are expected.
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With only two points from nine games and a goal difference of 3:30, Jena is second to last in the table, the roles are clearly distributed. “We don’t have to talk about the fact that they are not of the same quality as we are,” said VfL coach Tommy Stroot. “We want to win and live up to us.” Whether the runner-up can fall back on Lena Oberdorf and Kathrin Hendrich has not yet been determined. Oberdorf was the DFB-Elf 3-1 against Portugal Hendrich had also got something in the course of the game Stroot: “We want to be careful.”
Rotation in the starting XI is generally likely, the game against Jena offers “with a view to the load control the possibility to adjust something “, so stroot. Next Wednesday, the Champions League group stage will go to Geneva, the supposedly easiest opponent in Group A. In the premier class, the Wolfsburg women want the short game before the winter break, it could then come to the final against Chelsea. Stroot: “Against Jena and Geneva, it’s a little bit about making a run-up to the big games like against Chelsea, where a lot is at stake.”
An alternative to the right-back position could be Anna Blässer and Sara Doorsoun as well as Lynn Wilms, who is fit again after recovering from back problems and has meanwhile gained match practice with the U20s. “She has a lot of dynamism and has already shown what she can do in top games in the Dutch national team. She also played for six at Twente under my direction, but we didn’t bring her in as a right-back or right-back Central defender, “said Stroot about the 21-year-old.
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Striker Rebecka Blomqvist, who injured her right ankle with the Swedish national team at the end of November, could also return soon. “After further checks we now have a better feeling and maybe she will come back sooner than we thought,” confirmed Stroot, who was not yet ready to commit.
Things are also looking good for captain Alexandra Popp and goalkeeper Katarzyna Kiedrzynek. Popp is already doing pass exercises with the team and is slowly being led to it. Probably “we can take the next step in terms of training stimulus there next week.” Kiedrzynek, who has been suffering from a finger injury for a few months, needs another two to three weeks “until she is ready again. We hope that she can join in again in preparation for the second half of the season.” Ewa Pajor (knee surgery) and Pia-Sophie Wolter (cruciate ligament tear) will unfortunately still be missing for months.
