'Keep the ball and opponents moving': Women away to newly promoted FC Nürnberg

"We are prepared for the fact that Nürnberg sit back to a certain extent. We want to keep the ball and opponents moving, wait to gain the right momentum, trigger attacks and create a high frequency of goal-scoring opportunities," said Pätzold: "Patience will be a factor in any case, and we also want to have more control than in the final phases of the two halves against Union. We proved in that game that we can withstand periods of pressure from our opponents." Against Union Berlin on Monday, the Werkself had to battle for victory in the closing stages, but they defended with great passion in the final minutes - and were ultimately victorious.

Pätzold and his team ideally want to settle the result earlier at FCN, who were immediately promoted again after relegation in 2023/24 - knowing full well that the hosts, who have started with one point from two games, will put up a strong fight. "Nürnberg have done a lot of work in the background. They have the big advantage that they already know the league and know what's important," said Pätzold: "They were below par in their loss against Bremen (4-1 home defeat, ed.) and could have done more, just like against Union. They are very solid in defence, play with courage and press early. They were always dangerous in both games, especially in transition. We know what to expect and we’ll do everything we can to come back with three points."

compensate for Kramer absence collectively

Last season's top scorer will not be available for this match. Cornelia Kramer (twelve goals) is out of action for the coming weeks due to a muscle injury in her right thigh . "Corner stands for high intensity, great team spirit, a lot of work against the ball and a very unpleasant style of play for the opposition," said the coach: "We will try to compensate for her absence as a collective. We had three different goalscorers against Union. We don't care who scores in the end as long as it's enough to get maximum points."

Kramer's fellow striker Caroline Kehrer, who has been sidelined for months due to a knee injury, could return to the squad. The same applies to Loreen Benderr, who missed the first two games due to injury. Selina Ostermeier, Amy Wrigge (both recovering from muscle injuries) and Shen Menglu (cruciate ligament) are still out. Pätzold is not ruling out the possibility of rotation in view of the run of fixtures with the home game against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday, 25 September (kick-off: 19:00 CEST at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, tickets available HERE), and the DFB Pokal first round tie at SV 07 Elversberg on the following Sunday, 28 September (kick-off: 12:00 CEST) at the Waldstadion Betzental), but at the same time he said: "Of course, that is a factor in our preliminary considerations, but we'll wait and see how the games go first. Our squad is capable of coping with the run of fixtures coming up.”

away Tickets available from Online Shop

If you want to support the Werkself in Nuremberg, you can do so HERE via the FC Nürnberg online ticket shop. The away block 25d is located in the south stand. The matchday ticket office opens one hour before kick-off with FC Nürnberg charging an extra €2 per ticket on the day.