For VfL Bochum, with two matchdays left in the season, there is almost nothing left to play for. With 35 points, the club from the Ruhr area ranks 7th and could realistically only swap places with the 6th-placed Eintracht Frankfurt II (37 points). However, the deficit to the promotion spot is already twelve points.

That VfL Bochum has long since dropped out of the promotion race was hardly predictable after the first half of the season. Back then, the Bochum women went into the winter break as the third-placed team and stood with 25 points just three points behind the Eisernen Ladies. Both Union and Bochum had come into the league as promoted teams and caused quite a stir in the first half, but VfL lost their momentum in the second half. With only ten points from eleven matches, Bochum is currently ranked 10th in the second half table. The gap to the Unionerinnen has since increased from three to 21 points.

Bochum can still hold out some small hopes in the race for the top scorer trophy, where 18-year-old striker Anna Marques, with 13 goals, ranks 3rd. The Portuguese U19 national player, who extended her contract in Bochum during the week, will need a high-scoring season finale to catch up to Lisa Heiseler (17 goals).  

There has been no winner in the three previous encounters between the two sides. Their matches in the 2014/15 season of the 2. Bundesliga Nord  ended 3-3 and 1-1 and the first match-up of the current season finished 1-1.

In the top-of-the-table clash in December 2024, Pia Metzker put Union ahead after 22 minutes, but Bochum responded just seven minutes later with the equaliser. In the return fixture, Union missed out on taking all three points in Köpenick, mainly due to their failure to convert their chances.

Union head coach Ailien Poese will be without Maria Cristina Lange, Leonie Köster, Sophie Trojahn, Naika Reissner and Ida Heikkinen on Sunday.

“We see Bochum well-organised team of strong finishers, who will certainly want to end their unhappy second half of the season on a high note in their last home game,” said Union’s head coach, Ailien Poese, on Thursday. “We want to defend consistently and attentively and, on that basis, create our own dangerous situations and score goals to return to Berlin with another three points”

The match kicks off at 14:00 on Sunday at the Leichtathletikplatz am Ruhrstadion. Tickets are available via the VfL Bochum online shop. There will also be a ticket office on site.