FC Bayern Women on the road again in Essen

Essen – Fresh from a commanding 3-0 victory at Köln last Sunday, FC Bayern Women return to the Google Pixel Bundesliga on Friday evening when they travel to face SGS Essen at the Stadion an der Hafenstraße. Kick-off for Matchday 21 is scheduled for 18:30 CET.

José Barcala’s squad has carried momentum into the final stretch of the season. The win over Köln, sealed by a first-half brace from Pernille Harder and a 38th-minute strike by Linda Dallmann, marked Bayern’s second straight 3-0 triumph, following an identical result at Hamburg in the DFB Cup quarter-finals. That cup success sets up a semi-final showdown against the very same Essen side on 6 April at the Allianz Arena.

Essen arrive at the fixture in 13th place with 12 points from 20 matches after a 4-0 defeat at Hoffenheim last time out. Yet the Ruhr valley club provided a cup shock by edging Werder Bremen 1-0 through Ella Touon’s winner, ensuring they will still have a say in Bayern’s silverware ambitions next month.

Historical precedent favours the visitors: across 43 Bundesliga meetings Bayern have claimed 32 wins, six draws and only five defeats.

The Bavarians will be without several key contributors. Sarah Zadrazil and Lena Oberdorf continue their rehabilitation from cruciate-ligament injuries, while Alara Şehitler (partial ACL tear), Klara Bühl (muscular complaint), Jovana Damnjanović (workload management) and Katharina Naschenweng (knee) are also unavailable. Midfielder Momoko Tanikawa remains on international duty with Japan at the Women’s Asian Cup, where she is set to feature in Saturday’s final.

Speaking ahead of the contest, coach Barcala warned against complacency. “Essen are a very flexible opponent who will pose a demanding challenge with their back five and variety of pressing. We know they’re brave at home and can play in an aggressive way and close down the spaces between the lines. We’ve prepared for that. But it’ll be key that we play our game, find the right rhythm and play the ball cleverly into the spaces, being clinical in the final third.”

Midfielder Barbara Dunst echoed the sentiment. “Essen are usually really compact and keep the spaces tight. They have young, very committed players and have had a visible boost of late with the change of coach. We know they’ll fight against us with all they’ve got. The key thing is that we play our game and play with full conviction.”

Off the pitch, anticipation is building for the club’s next European night. More than 15,000 tickets have already been sold for the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern will hope to keep their domestic momentum rolling in Essen before attention turns to continental matters and the looming cup rematch against the same opponents in Munich.