Bayern host Essen looking to make third consecutive final

Munich, Germany – Fresh from a mid-week UEFA Women’s Champions League triumph over Manchester United, FC Bayern Women turn their attention to domestic silverware on Monday when SGS Essen visit the FC Bayern Campus for a DFB Cup semi-final kick-off at 15:30 CEST. Victory would put the holders one step from a third straight final appearance.

Bayern’s path to the last four was forged in March with a resounding 3-0 quarter-final win at Hamburg, Edna Imade, Franziska Kett and Natalia Padilla Bidas each finding the net at the Volksparkstadion. The result kept alive their bid to retain the trophy they lifted in Cologne last season.

The Bundesliga leaders arrive in buoyant mood after ousting Manchester United in Europe. A 2-1 home success in front of 25,000 at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, added to a 3-2 win in England, sealed a 5-3 aggregate passage to the Champions League semi-finals, where Glódís Viggósdóttir and company will meet Barcelona.

Essen’s cup run has been more modest but no less spirited. Ella Touon’s 43rd-minute strike accounted for last year’s runners-up Werder Bremen in the quarter-finals and ended a winless streak stretching back to early December. League form remains a concern: Heleen Jaques’ side lost 2-1 to Bremen at the weekend and sit just one point above bottom club Carl Zeiss Jena.

Recent history offers Essen little encouragement. A fortnight ago Bayern cruised to a 5-0 league victory; they have now won the last 14 Bundesliga meetings by a combined 38-3, with a 2-2 draw in April 2019 the last time Essen took anything from the fixture.

Injuries continue to test Bayern’s depth. Head coach José Barcala is again without Sarah Zadrazil and Lena Oberdorf as the pair recover from cruciate ligament problems. Alara Şehitler (partial ACL tear), Klara Bühl (muscular), Jovana Damnjanović (workload) and Katharina Naschenweng (knee) remain sidelined, while Anna Klink is out with a minor muscle tear.

Barcala insists his side will not be complacent. “We’ve got great respect for knockout matches and also for Essen,” he said. “We won’t underestimate the opposition and need to perform at the highest level on Monday. We expect a compact, well-organised defence; we must find spaces between the lines and be precise.”

Midfielder Franziska Kett echoed the sentiment. “The dream of getting to the final in Cologne is a big one, but we’re fully aware of what a tough task we face,” she noted. “If we play our game from the first minute, I firmly believe we’ll win.”

A sell-out crowd at the Campus is anticipated as Bayern aim to keep their double dream alive and move within one victory of a third consecutive DFB Cup final.