On Friday evening, 1. FC Union Berlin’s women’s team will host the current second placed team  in the Bundesliga, Eintracht Frankfurt, in the DFB Pokal round of 16. Kick off at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei is at 18:30.

The lie of the land

Eintracht Frankfurt are travelling to Köpenick brimming with confidence, and unbeaten in their last three Bundesliga games. A 1-1 draw at reigning German champions FC Bayern München was followed two weeks ago by an 8-0 win against 1. FC Köln. Last Saturday, SGE beat TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 1-0. In the DFB Pokal, the Hessians won 10-0 in the second round against the Regionalliga side 1. FFV Erfurt.

Like Eintracht, Union were also able to defend their second place in their league last weekend. On matchday 11 of the 2. Bundesliga, they won 2-0 against SC Freiburg II, an excellent result on the back of the previous weekend’s goalless draw in Mönchengladbach. Antonia Halverkamps opened the scoring in the 64th minute before Dina Orschmann bagged the second, four minutes into time added on.

After a penalty shoot-out thriller in the first round of the cup against Gütersloh (Union won 6-4), Poese's team knocked out Bundesliga side RasenBallsport Leipzig in the second round with a superb 1-0 win.

The opponents

Eintracht have established themselves as one of the top teams in German women's football in recent years. Since their merger with Bundesliga record champions 1. FFC Frankfurt in 2020, who had previously been unable to build on their successful past, Eintracht have finished third in the table in the past three seasons. Currently, they are one better, in second place with 23 points, just two behind leaders VfL Wolfsburg, who they defeated 3-0 at the end of September. With 31 goals scored and only five conceded, Eintracht have both the best attack and defence in the league.

Eintracht Frankfurt's development into one of the top addresses in German football was also evident during the most recent international break. With seven players nominated, they provided the most players in the DFB squad, ahead of FC Bayern and VfL Wolfsburg (four each). In addition, Laura Freigang was the eighth player to be nominated, but she had to leave early due to illness. The striker currently leads the Bundesliga scoring charts with ten goals this season and has already scored one more goal than in her entire previous season. Her strike partner Nicole Anyomi, also a permanent member of the national team, has scored five goals and provided six assists.

In 2023/24, a season in which Frankfurt also participated in the group stage of the Champions League for the first time, they reached the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal, only narrowly missing out on reaching the final (and with it a repeat of 2021 when they lost 1-0 after extra time to VfL Wolfsburg), by losing 4-2 on penalties to Bayern.

Then as now, Niko Arnautis is the head coach. The 44-year-old has been in charge o since 2017, making him the longest-serving coach in the top flight of German football.

Personnel matters

Union head coach Ailien Poese will still have to do without Maria Cristina Lange, Katja Orschmann, Sarah Abu Sabbah, Sophie Trojahn and Ginger Schulz on Friday.

The reunion

On Friday, goalkeeper Cara Bösl will meet numerous old companions. The 27-year-old moved to Berlin-Köpenick in the summer after twelve years with 1. FFC and Eintracht Frankfurt. She played a total of 19 competitive games for the Frankfurt professional team, including two Champions League and 13 Bundesliga games. She also played 45 league games for the Hessian U20 team.

Head coach Ailien Poese looks ahead to the cup clash: ‘[...]’,

SGE coach Niko Arnautis said ahead of the game: ‘Union Berlin, along with Nuremberg, are the top favourites to be promoted. They are having a very good season and have some players in their ranks who already have Bundesliga experience – including Cara Bösl, of course. We're really looking forward to seeing her again, it's always nice to see long-standing companions again. They play a very compact and aggressive game and will close down the spaces for us. We are really looking forward to what will surely be a great atmosphere, but at the same time we are also highly motivated to advance to the next round and take the momentum from the league with us.’

The coaches’ views ahead of the game

“In Eintracht Frankfurt, an absolutely top team are coming to the Alte Försterei,” said Ailien Poese during her press conference on Thursday afternoon. “They are having an outstanding season and are certainly aiming for the two titles they can still win. They are incredibly fast, strong in transition and technically at the highest level. We are preparing to defend passionately with our fans behind us. At the same time, we want to play courageously, challenge the opponents for as long as possible and, if the opportunity arises, take our chances. We are really looking forward to this great challenge.”

Meanwhile, SGE coach Niko Arnautis said this ahead of the game: “Union Berlin are the favourites to get promoted, along with Nuremberg. They've had a very good season and have a few players in their ranks who already have Bundesliga experience – including Cara Bösl, of course. We're really looking forward to seeing her again, it's always nice to meet up with long-standing teammates. They play very compact and aggressive football and will close down the spaces for us. We are really looking forward to a great atmosphere, but at the same time we are also highly motivated to advance to the next round and take the momentum from the league with us.”

Service information

The stadium An der Alten Försterei will open its gates and box office at 17:00. Access will be via ticket office areas 1, 2, 3 and 4. Tickets for the game are available in all Union stores and online.

To avoid queues at the entrances, please arrive in good time. There are a few parking spaces left in the car park in front of the main stand, as well as at the ball sports hall on Hämmerlingstraße. The parking fee is €4 in each case.

The game will be broadcast live on Sky and on the rbb livestream. Union will also provide information about the game on the club's own live ticker, as well as providing updates in English and Spanish on twitter.