WOMAN
10/04/2021

Champions League opener against Koge: "Expecting a tough opponent"

TSG will kick off their UEFA Women's Champions League group campaign by welcoming Danish champions HB Køge to the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion on Tuesday evening (18:45 CET). Coach Gabor Gallai's charges will be up against hard-running and tough-tackling opponents. Tickets for the Champions League opening game, which will be shown live on DAZN and YouTube, are still available from the TSG Online Shop.

Head coach Gabor Gallai on…

…the successful start to the English weeks.

"We were actually well in the game for the first 10 minutes against Frankfurt, but then we lost our structure  both in terms of our switch-play after losing possession and in the phases of play when he had the ball. Frankfurt were sharper and more aggressive too, so we weren't satisfied with the first half. During the break, we talked about a few things and made changes, and then we took the lead at a good time. What we then failed to do was to add to that; the chances were there. We were lucky that Frankfurt didn't equalise in the closing stages. It was the third time in the league this season that we have turned the game around after falling behind. On the one hand, of course, that is testament to the good spirit in the squad and the strong cohesion in the team. On the other hand, we have to look into the reasons why we found it difficult to stick to our match plan in the first half."

…the start to the group stages.

"We haven't set ourselves a firm objective yet, but we would be showing the wrong attitude if we were just happy to be here for the ride. We want to give the best-possible account of ourselves and achieve the best-possible results. But we know that this group is very strong and that we will be challenged in every game. However, this whole occasion is a great opportunity for us to gain experience and to further our development."

…the Danish champions HB Køge.

"It's difficult to properly assess the opponent from afar and only on the basis of video footage. The team make a very strong impression with their hard running and tough tackling, and have a good structure off the ball. Køge counter-press and switch the play well. We're expecting an opponent that will show a certain robustness. We definitely have to go through the game against Frankfurt again so that we can improve on the things that didn't go well."

…the personnel.

""We're still a little bit affected by a wave of colds; the involvement of Jule Brand and Petra Kocsán, who already missed out on Saturday due to illness, is still doubtful. Anne Fühner and probably also Franziska Harsch will be available again. So only Paulina Krumbiegel and Isabella Hartig are definitely out."

Opposition spotlight:

Promotion, domestic title, UEFA Women's Champions League! HB Køge have worked their way up to Europe's top table in the shortest timeframe, with the club from the Danish port city only achieving promotion to the country's top flight in the 2019/20 season. They instantly asserted themselves and won the Danish title, ultimately beating closest challengers Brøndby IF on the final day of a tight race that went to the wire. TSG's group opponents top the Danish league again this season: coach Søren Randa-Boldt's team have seven wins from eight matches. The reigning Danish champions made it into the group stages thanks to two play-off victories against a Sparta Prague side with a wealth of international experience. In the HB Køge squad are five Americans, the Irishwoman Carusa Kyra and the experienced Mexican Arianna Romero, who has already played in Australia, Norway, Iceland and the USA.

Match facts and statistics »

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