Next Sunday, 21 July, the professional women's team of 1. FC Union Berlin will play its first friendly of the new 2024/25 season against VfL Wolfsburg II. The match will kick off at 14.00 at the Fritz-Lesch-Sportplatz in Dörpfeldstraße.

Opponent check

The U20 team of Wolfsburg, the record champions, were relegated from the 92. Bundesliga last season after eleven years. With 16 points in 26 games, the team from Lower Saxony finished four points behind SV 67 Weinberg, who were able to stay in the league due to MSV Duisburg withdrawing their licence. From 2016 to 2020, VfL Wolfsburg II had finished second in the 2. Bundesliga four times in a row.

The team led by head coach Daniel Kraus, who has been in charge at Elsterweg since 2022, returned to training on 1 July. Last weekend, the Green and Whites played their first friendly of the summer preparation against Bundesliga promotion contenders 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam and won 2:1.

The reunion

Union goalkeeper Melanie Wagner has a Wolfsburg past. The 21-year-old was under contract with VfL Wolfsburg II from 2018 to 2022 and was in goal for the U20 team in 13 2. Bundesliga matches. Maria Christina Lange also made a total of 17 appearances (7 goals) for Wolfsburg's second team from 2017 to 2019. However, she will not play on Sunday.

Balance sheet

Around ten months ago, in September 2023, the two teams faced each other once before in a test match. In an encounter without many highlights, Wolfsburg came out on top 1:0 thanks to an unfortunate own goal by Lisa Heiseler.

In league action, the teams met a total of four times in the 2014/15 and 2016/17 seasons in the 2. Bundesliga North. Wolfsburg II came out on top three times; the first encounter ended in a draw.

Personnel

Head coach Ailien Poese will be without Maria Cristina Lange on Sunday as she completes her rehabilitation programme following her knee injury. Sunday's game will come too soon for Anna Weiß. 

Voices before the game

‘We're looking forward to our first test match opponent of the new season. After an intensive week and a half of training with new and familiar content, we want to make our mark in both offence and defence in this game and implement specific content at competition level. Wolfsburg's U20s are a very young but always hungry team that we will face with new energy and determination,’ said Ailien Poese, looking forward to the first match of the new season.

Service information

The match against VfL Wolfsburg II will kick off at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Fritz-Lesch-Sportplatz in Dörpfeldstraße. Admission is free.