The Women's Team Return Home
Union Host Hoffenheim on Sunday
Following two games on the bounce in Hamburg, Sunday will see Union's women's team host TSG Hoffenheim. Kick off in the Stadion An der Alten Försterei is at 14:00.
The lie of the land
1. FC Union Berlin's performances in recent weeks have shown a clear upwards trend. Following Bundesliga successes against RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart, and 1. FC Nürnberg, they achieved another milestone last weekend in the a 4-3, extra time, win against Hamburger SV. Marie-Louise Eta's side have now advanced to the quarter-finals of the DFB Pokal for the first time in the club's history.
TSG Hoffenheim have meanwhile faced their own ups and downs. After their 3-1 home victory against 1. FSV Mainz 05, head coach Eva-Maria Virsinger's side had to embark on the long journey to Bremen. There, TSG lost 3-0 last Thursday. Then, in the DFB Pokal round of 16, they were humbled by Wolfsburg, 8-0.
The current season is going anything but according to plan for TSG Hoffenheim so far. After eight matchdays, the Kraichgauerinnen sit in tenth place on nine points, just behind Union. While Hoffenheim have regularly competed for European places in recent years, they currently themselves in the unusual fittings of the lower half of the table.
Despite the mixed results, they still have a lot of individual quality, as demonstrated in their recent 3-1 home win against Mainz, where Janna Grimm stood out with two goals. Earlier in this season, Hoffenheim also achieved a surprising victory against Wolfsburg and another win against 1. FC Nürnberg, although much-needed consistency has been lacking so far.
Both previous Bundesliga encounters from last season were won by Sunday's guests. In the first meeting, in December, TSG won 3-0 at the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion, before winning the return match at the Alte Försterei 2-0.
For Jill Janssens, Judith Steinert, and Naika Reissner, this will be a reunion with their former club. Janssens moved to Köpenick in the summer after three years and 67 competitive matches for Hoffenheim. Steinert played a total of 128 matches between 2013 and 2022, while Reissner played for their second team in the 2. Bundesliga in the 2021/22 season.
Union's coaching team must continue to do without the services of Anna Aehling, Hannah Eurlings, Korina Janež, and Nelly Smolarczyk.
“We are really looking forward to a game at home, in our stadium with our fans. From the intense matches in Hamburg, we were able to address some topics in training this week. We want to go into the game with a lot of energy and passion again, continue to be dominant with the ball, and create as many scoring chances as possible in order to win the next three points for ourselves,” said Marie-Louise Eta, Union's head coach, in midweek.
The Stadion An der Alten Försterei opens one and a half hours before kick off. Tickets for the match are available online as well as at all Union-Zeughäuser.
There are still extensive traffic disruptions in public transport and in the stadium vicinity. The underpass Hämmerlingstraße is closed as well as the Waldweg.
The footpath to the stadium leads along the Ballsporthalle.
There are no parking options available in the vicinity of the stadium. The parking lot P1 is already fully booked.
The match will be broadcast live in Germany on DAZN and MagentaSport. Union will provide updates via a live ticker, as well as in English on twitter. As ever a comprehensive English match report will appear on the Union website after the final whistle. .
