Bayern Women “confident” ahead of Hoffenheim clash
Straight from victory away at Turbine Potsdam in their rearranged Bundesliga fixture at the weekend, FC Bayern Women are back in action on Tuesday as they make the trip to Sinsheim for their DFB Cup quarter-final tie against Hoffenheim. It’s a tough draw for FCB against the team currently fourth in the Bundesliga. The game kicks off at 20:30 CET at the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion. Here's all you need to know in our preview.
State of play
After two weeks away for the international break, coach Alexander Straus has only had a few days to prepare to return to action. The team took the first step in the right direction at the weekend with a commanding 3-0 win at bottom side Potsdam in the league. Despite the quick turnaround, Bayern showed a top team performance to make it seven Bundesliga victories on the spin. Die Frauen booked their place in the cup quarter-final back in November with a comfortable 7-0 win over Duisburg.
The opponent
Even though they’re in good form themselves, Bayern will need to be wary of Hoffenheim, who have been particularly good in front of goal in their two league games of 2023. The Sinsheim club have racked up 11 goals with 7-0 and 4-0 wins over Duisburg and Köln respectively. They have long been a fixture in the upper echelons of the Bundesliga and are currently in fourth place, just three points behind Eintracht Frankfurt. Their presence in the quarter-finals is predominantly down to Ereleta Memeti, who bagged all three goals in a 3-0 last-16 victory against Bayer Leverkusen.
Match stats
Bayern and Hoffenheim have met 21 times before in the league and cup. FCB have the historic upper hand with 15 wins, while they have scored four on both of their last two visits to Sinsheim. The Bundesliga encounter in December ended in a 4-0 triumph for Straus’s women.
Fitness update
Long-term absentees Giulia Gwinn (cruciate ligament) and Jovana Damnjanovic (muscle tear) remain on the sidelines. Tainara (muscular problems) and Laura Benkarth (ill) will also both miss this game. Sydney Lohmann is fit again after missing the Potsdam match with a muscular issue.
Pre-match quotes
Head coach Alexander Straus: “Hoffenheim are one of the best teams in the Bundesliga, which is why I’m expecting an open and tough game. I think it’ll be interesting because they have a similar style of play to us. We previously met in December, which was one of our best games this season. But we can’t think too much about that one because they’ve progressed since then. But still, we’re always confident and want to play as such.”
Maximiliane Rall: “I think it’ll be a very different game compared to the league meeting. It’s a knockout game and also their chance to advance in the cup. That’s why I’m expecting a very interesting game. We have to be awake from the very first second and always want to play our game regardless of the opponent. I’ve scored in the last two games against Hoffenheim. I hope I can do it again on Tuesday.”