Chelsea returns to UWCL action in quarterfinals: Wolfsburg women profile

The Chelsea Women’s pursuit of a maiden European trophy continues with a quarterfinal tie against last year’s finalists, VfL Wolfsburg. Both home and away legs will take place in the Hungarian capital of Budapest and Emma Hayes will face a tough challenge against the two-time champions. The Blues have been eliminated by the Wolves in three of their last four Champions League campaigns, but this year may be different.

Here’s all you need to know about Wolfsburg:

The team

Wolfsburg has appeared in three of the last five Champions League finals, falling to Lyon on each occasion. The German outfit has also won the last four Bundesliga league titles and have only lost once this season, to league leaders Bayern Munich. You would be forgiven for believing they are heavy favourites in this tie, however, there is a key difference between this season’s Wolfsburg team to that of years gone by–Pernille Harder. The Dane, of course, now perfects her trade in west London, having scored over 100 times for Wolfsburg before switching allegiance last summer. Harder is widely considered the best female player on the planet and Wolfsburg has missed her influence in front of goal. This is perhaps why it has already announced five new additions to join in the summer. Wolfsburg is in transition, and that could be the kink in the armour Chelsea needs to finally get one over on the Germans.

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The coach

At the helm is 36-year-old German manager, Stephan Lerch. Lerch has been a key figure in the side’s success over the past decade, having first joined back in 2013 before being promoted to first team assistant in 2015. In 2017, Lerch took over the reins of the first team, taking over from long-time manager Ralf Kellerman, who took up the role of sporting director. Lerch has won the league title and DFB Pokal in each of his first four campaigns and will be hoping to add a maiden Champions League title before he departs this summer with his contract set to expire.

The players

Alexandra Popp

When I said earlier that Wolfsburg was missing the presence of Harder up front, I perhaps should have mentioned that it still has a plethora of attacking talent at its disposal, no less the captain of the German national team. Popp has been at the club for almost a decade, having scored over 100 times for the side, so it should come as no surprise that her involvement coincides with the club’s rise to the top. Popp has also played for the national team over 100 times and is still only 29. She has struggled with injuries this season, ut with five goals in March—including two in the last round—she should be ready to take on the Blues.

Ewa Pajor

24-year-old Polish striker Ewa Pajor has only this month returned to action after undergoing knee surgery in September. It took Pajor just nine minutes to get back to her prolific best, scoring after coming on as a second half substitute against SV Meppen. In years gone by Pajor has been one of the side’s most important attacking weapons, contributing 19 goals last season and 28 the season before that, when she was the league’s top scorer. Her return simply couldn’t have come at a better time for the Wolves. Expect her to be a serious threat to Magdalena Eriksson and the Chelsea back line.

Zsanett Jakabfi

I would love to include a more defensive-minded player to cap off this list, but it’s hard to look past the Wolfsburg attack. Hungarian playmaker-come-striker Zsanett Jakabfi has been at the club since 2009 and this season has filled the void left by Pajor, scoring 16 goals across all competitions in a more advanced position. Much like manager Lerch, this is to be Jakabfi’s last season at Wolfsburg and she will be desperate to finish on a high. Why Jakabfi may be the key in this fixture is due to the location. With both matches being played in the Hungarian capital Budapest, Jakabfi will enjoy a distinct home advantage. She has played 33 times for the Hungarian national team, contributing 19 goals. She also come through the ranks of MTK Hungaria, based in Budapest. It’s difficult to predict who exactly will start for Wolfsburg up top, but if anything that only creates further problems for Hayes, who will have to figure out how to stop the German powerhouse if she is to achieve her dream of a Champions League medal.

How do you think the first leg of this UWCL tie will play out? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!