FC Bayern Women draw final pre-season friendly

FC Bayern Women played out a goalless draw with Juventus in their final friendly match of pre-season. With incoming Germany head coach Christian Wück watching on, the reigning Bundesliga champions created a number of good chances but were unable to find a breakthrough against their Italian opponents.

Olympians return

Head coach Alexander Straus made one change to the team that started the recent 7-0 friendly win against Slavia Prague as Franziska Kett came in for Carolin Simon, who missed out with a muscular issue. Giulia Gwinn, Klara Bühl, Sydney Lohmann and Lea Schüller all returned to the squad and were presented with flowers ahead of the game after they won bronze at the Paris Olympics with Germany.

Chance-filled first half

The Italians started strong and had the first good chance inside three minutes when they won the ball in the box, but Barbara Bonansea’s shot was blocked just in the nick of time. Bayern’s first big opportunity fell to Linda Dallmann when she met Pernille Harder’s cross, but her header flew just over. However, Juventus remained on the front foot in the opening stages and came close once more as Valentina Bergamaschi’s shot from just inside the area struck the crossbar before Hanna Ulrika Bennison forced a good save out of Mala Grohs on the rebound.

Die Frauen soon found their feet and started to take control. Captain Glodis Perla Viggosdottir only just missed the target from a Kett cross shortly before the half-hour mark. The best chance of the half then fell to Bayern when Tuva Hansen and Harder broke away, but the Norwegian was denied by Juventus goalkeeper Alessia Capelletti. Jovana Damnjanovic was also thwarted on the rebound.

Bayern fail to take advantage

Things were quite even after the restart, with much of the play taking place in midfield. The first chance to break the deadlock came for Jovanovic when running onto a through ball from substitute Lohmann, but she knocked her shot across goal just inches wide. The Serbian striker again had an opportunity moments later, only to be denied from close range by replacement goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin as the hosts upped the pressure.

Bayern continued to push for a winner in the closing stages. Georgia Stanway tried to find Schüller in the box, but the striker narrowly missed the cross. Juventus were happy to sit back as the clock wound down, with Die Frauen unable to break them down as the game ended goalless in Unterhaching.

Supercup and Bundesliga opener

Pre-season is now over for Bayern as they turn their attentions to the real stuff, starting on Sunday with the Google Pixel Supercup against DFB Cup holders Wolfsburg in Dresden (kick-off: 6.15pm CEST). The Google Pixel Bundesliga then begins five days later, with the defending champions opening the campaign away at promoted Turbine Potsdam on Friday, 30 August (5pm).