After the two-month winter break, the women’s 2. Bundesliga’s second half of the season starts for 1. FC Union Berlin with a real cracker when, on Saturday, 8 February 2025, they travel to play Hamburger SV. Kick off in the game against the league’s fifth-placed team on the training ground at the Volksparkstadion is at 14:00.

The lie of the land

Hamburger SV went unbeaten in their last eight league games before the winter break and, with just two points separating them from the top four, are within striking distance of the promotion places. They also reached the quarter-finals of the DFB Pokal at the end of November with a 4-2 win over Bundesliga club Carl Zeiss Jena. The last time they achieved this was in 2011/12.

Union also went into the winter break in strong form. With seven points from their last three games and a total of 28 points from 13 games, the team from Köpenick are sat in second place in the table.

The opponents

Last season, Hamburg finished in fourth place and only just missed out on promotion. Now, they can look back on a positive first half of the season. HSV have only been beaten twice, which only 1. FC Nürnberg and Union, themselves, have managed to better with just one defeat each. Hamburg managed to get a point in each of the direct duels with the two top teams. Their goal difference of +19, the second-best in the league, also speaks to the strength of the Hanseatic club. With 27 goals, HSV have the third-best attack behind SC Sand (31) and Nuremberg (30), while only Nürnberg have conceded one goal fewer, with seven.

The north Germans also performed strongly during the winter break, remaining unbeaten in all six of their mid-season friendlies. After beating VfL Wolfsburg II (1-0), SV Henstedt-Ulzburg (4-0) and Holstein Kiel (5-0), the team showed great spirit in coming from 3-0 down to draw 4-4 with Kolding IF. This was followed by a 3-2 win against Bundesliga club Turbine Potsdam and, most recently, a 3-0 victory in the last game before the start of the competitive season against RasenBallsport Leipzig II.

However, the departure of Dana Marquardt in the winter was a disappointment. Hamburg's most prolific goalscorer, with six goals and four assists, joined ambitious Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund in January. The 27-year-old scored a total of 29 goals in 60 appearances for Hamburger SV.

The head-to-head

The season opener between the two teams at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei ended in a 2-2 draw. After HSV took an early lead from the penalty spot, Union turned the game around within a few minutes with two impressive long-range strikes from Dina and Katja Orschmann. However, HSV managed to equalise in the second half.

The two teams had previously met only once in a competitive game, when HSV won 2-0 in the first round of the 2019 DFB Pokal.

The personnel

Union head coach Ailien Poese will have to do without Marie Becker, Nele Bauereisen, Sophie Trojahn, Maria Cristina Lange and Katja Orschmann on Sunday.

The coach’s views before the game

“The longer break has done us all good, allowing us to recharge our batteries,” said Union’s head coach, Ailien Poese. “Now we can hardly wait to start the second half of the season. With HSV, we have a strong opponent that brings a lot of pace on the wings and work aggressively against the ball. But we know how evenly matched the league is – anyone can beat anyone. That's why we prepare for every game with the utmost care and will give our all for the win this weekend too.”

 Service information

Kick off on Saturday is at 14:00 on the training ground at the Volksparkstadion. Tickets are available online from Hamburger SV.

The game will be broadcast live and free of charge on Sporttotal. There will also be a club-owned live ticker for the game, as well as live updates in English on Twitter.