On Sunday, 8 December 2024, the women's team of 1. FC Union Berlin will host VfL Bochum in the 12th matchday of the 2. Bundesliga. Kick off in the clash between the 2. Liga’s second and third-placed teams at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei is at 14:00.

The lie of the land

VfL Bochum are travelling to Berlin-Köpenick after three defeats in a row. Following the 2-1 losses in the league against SV Weinberg 67 and SV Meppen, they went down 5-0 in the DFB Pokal against Bundesliga side TSG 1899 Hoffenheim before the international break. Nevertheless, Bochum are still 3rd in the 2. Bundesliga with 21 points from eleven games, though are now level on points and goals scored with fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt II.

Union went into the international break following a strong performance in the Cup when it took until the 83^rd minute for the Bundesliga’s second-placed Eintracht to finally break their resolute defence in a 2-0 win. Prior to that, Union have been unbeaten in the league in their last four games.

The opponents

Some parallels between the team from the Ruhr area and their hosts on Sunday are striking. Just like Union, Bochum were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga last season via the promotion play-offs. Before that, they had clearly set themselves apart from the competition - VfR Warbeyen and Fortuna Köln - in the Regionalliga West, going the whole season without loss. In the hotly contested promotion play-off matches against FSV Mainz 05, Bochum ultimately prevailed with 2-1 and 4-2 wins, returning to the second division after nine years.

As with Union, VfL Bochum also have big ambitions in the medium to long-term. The club announced that they want to play in the Bundesliga in 2023. Annike Krahn, who was born in Bochum, became sporting director this year. She was part of the German team that won the 2007 World Cup and played 137 times for her country. The club then underpinned their hopes with a number of transfers in the summer. In addition to several established second-division players, Sarah Freutel, a long-standing Bundesliga player, also joined Bochum. The 32-year-old came from MSV 02 Duisburg having played 193 Bundesliga games for the Zebras and SGS Essen, scoring 20 goals. Freutel is a lynchpin in head coach Kyra Malinowski’s side. Malinowski has been on the touchline in the Ruhr since 2022.

The most obvious parallel, however, is that both clubs have shaken up the 2. Bundesliga in the first half of the season following their respective promotions. The blue and whites are currently in 3rd place, and, with seven wins and four defeats, are the only team in the league without a draw. Their heaviest defeat in the league came on the second matchday when they lost 5-1 at FSV Gütersloh 2009. In the DFB Pokal, the club advanced to the round of 16 for only the second time in the club's history with wins against Hansa Rostock (10-0) and Kieler MTV (4-0). There, the Bochum team played in the Ruhr Stadium for the first time this season, supported by over 5,000 spectators against Hoffenheim.

The head to head

In 2014/15, the clubs met in the 2. Bundesliga Nord, when both games ended in a draw. In Bochum, 1-1, while in Köpenick there was a furious 3-3. Dina Orschmann scored two goals for Union that day, while her twin sister Katja was also on the pitch. Charleen Niesler was also part of the team in the first fixture.

Although VfL Bochum were in mid-table in seventh place at the time, both clubs were ultimately relegated at the end of the season. Bochum withdrew their women's team from the 2. Bundesliga after the season, while the Köpenick-based team missed out on staying up as they finished in eleventh place.

The personnel

Union head coach Ailien Poese will have to do without Maria Cristina Lange, Katja Orschmann, Sarah Abu Sabbah and Eleni Markou on Sunday.

The coaches views ahead of the game

“We are looking forward to this top game at the Alte Försterei,” said Union’s head coach, Ailien Poese. “Bochum have been in strong form so far and are very effective in front of goal. We will face an aggressive and straightforward team that repeatedly seeks depth. For us, it's about defending as consistently as in the last few games, creating scoring chances from our possession and then taking advantage of them.”

Service information

The Stadion An der Alten Försterei will open its gates and box office at 12:30. On Sunday, ticket windows 1 and 2 will be open. Tickets for the game are available for purchase and at all Union’s Zeughaus stores, as well as online.

To avoid queues at the entrances, fans are asked to arrive in good time. There will be a limited number of parking spaces available in the car park in front of the main stand. The parking fee is €4.

The game will be broadcast live on AFTV+. There will be a club live ticker for the game, as well as live updates in English and Spanish on Twitter.