Women: ‘Going to Jena to win’

Everyone is aware of the significance of this match: “We’re going to Jena to win the game and pick up important points in the final stage of the relegation battle,” said head coach Achim Feifel. The team from Thuringia are currently bottom with two points and relegation could be confirmed tomorrow. Duisburg in eleventh place in the second relegation spot are level with Bayer 04 on 13 points – ahead of matchday 20, the Black and Reds have a superior goal difference of one. The Werkself Women have survival in their own hands with three games to play.

Bayern Munich experienced how tough games against Jena can be at the weekend: They only scored the goals in the 2-0 win in the second half. “Jena keep it very tight at the back and don’t allow too much space between each other. That often makes it difficult to find gaps when you’re on the attack. They stick to this approach and that causes problems for opponents like FC Bayern. If the opposition sits back so deep then it’s obviously difficult to create chances,” explained Feifel.

Flexibility, hard work and patience

It’s important against opponents like that, the 55-year-old added, “that you have a lot of movement in your play and keep changing positions. We have to be very flexible and put in a lot of hard work in covering ground and then we’ll be able to break through their back line at crucial moments. But we’ll have to be patient.

With the exception of long-term injuries Melissa Friedrich, Pauline Wimmer (both torn cruciates) and Karoline Heinze (back problems), Feifel has his whole squad available. That means changes in the starting eleven are possible: “We’ll see which players are fit enough to be able to start this match that will be full of running,” said the head coach.

Fans of the Werkself Women’s team can watch the game free of charge live on Magenta Sport.