Hibernian Ladies make their return to the UEFA Women’s Champions League tonight as they welcome FC Bayern München to Easter Road reports TIM OLIVER.
With the club reporting ticket sales of over 1,000 and expecting more people to be paying at the gate (and the game LIVE on BBC ALBA), it looks like it will be a fantastic occasion for the club. This is the first time Hibernian have played in the Round of 32, having last appeared in the competition back in 2006-07.
Of course, this is the first time ever that Scotland has two sides in the Champions League with SWPL champions Glasgow City currently in Sweden for their first leg against Eskilstuna United. It is partly down to City’s remarkable improvement in Europe where they famously reached the Quarter-Finals against PSG in the 2014-15 tournament that Scotland now has two places – something Hibs’ Head Coach Chris Roberts fully acknowledged.
What of their opponents Bayern?
Current Frauen-Bundesliga champions Bayern have not had the greatest start to this season, domestically. Though Bayern München Head Coach Thomas Worle feels they are developing game by game and also mentioned that pre-season preparations were impacted by the Olympics where they had several players at the tournament – including five who won the Gold Medal with Germany – which meant they had only eight days with the full squad before the league kicked off.
Last seasons success were fantastic said Worle, especially given where the club was finishing in the years before. He also pointed out however, that whilst ,“success can be positive, it can also be negative because people expect a lot of us, and a lot of teams are watching exactly how we are playing.” He also talked about the extra motivation sides had in playing them, though their only defeat has come at home against last season UWCL finalists and two time winners Wolfsburg (1-2, two weekends ago) who he called “the best team in Germany.” Bayern München come into this tie off the back of having beaten Leverkusen 1-0.
Worle said that the game at Easter Road will be a special occasion for both sides as it marks both clubs’ first games in the Champions League this season. He also talked about the fact that it was Hibs’ first game in Europe for a while, something he appreciated with Bayern playing in the competition for the first time in six years.
Bayern include forward Lisa Evans amonsgt their cosmopolitan squad, a Scottish international star who recently helped Scotland qualify for the Euros and played for Glasgow City for many seasons – but when Worle was asked about whether that would help, he offered that whilst, “Lisa had told him things about Scottish football,” she had ,“been away from the Scottish leagues for more than four years.” He did acknowledge that Evans has several Hibs’ team-mates in the Scottish squad.
This will be Lisa Evans’ first ever game at Easter Road – either as a player or a fan. When asked to compare the Bundesliga with the Scottish game, she said she believes the Bundesliga to be the most competitive league in Europe but that the Scottish league had made great strides forward. This includes improvements in training, but that perhaps Glasgow City and Hibernian still lack competitive games each week.
Last season, Bayern were eliminated in the Round of 32 by Dutch side Twente on away goals. Worle believed that the extra experience the Dutch side had in the competition had really helped them: “they were more used to playing in the Champions League. They knew exactly how to handle that at an international level.” He also believed his side were unlucky, but hoped that now, “they were ready to learn from the occasion.”
And Hibs?
Chris Roberts, the Hibernian Head Coach, wsa happy to report that training had gone very well, that there were no inuries and so they would try and keep the starting eleven as similar to the one that normally plays.
The pitch they use in training is close to the dimensions of Easter Road, though compared to their usual pitch at Albyn Park, Easter Road is grass (and not 4G) and six yards wider and 10 yards longer. He didn’t think the aspect of playing on a grass pitch would be a factor as nearly all the squad had represented Scotland, either at senior or youth levels, so were used to playing on grass. Roberts praised the playing surface and both him and captain Joelle Murray suggested that the bigger size would benefit their style of play, though they would have to make sure they were compact and that they defended as a unit.
In their past two matches against Stirling University and Forfar Farmington (both games they won scoring five), Hibs have played a different style, “being more compact, playing more defensive and looking for counter-attack options”. In their win against Stirling, Hibs also had the chance to play at Easter Road.
Roberts is acutely aware of the challenges that Bayern bring and he said the aim was to be competitive in the game and gain experience as a club from playing in Champions League. As he says, the players will, “get the chance to play against full-time professionals, some of the best players, Olympic Champions, World Champions, European champions.”
Whilst Hibernian’s squad is young, they have a huge amount of experience. An example Roberts gave was Lucy Graham who despite being 19 is in her fifth year of senior football. But they are lacking as a club in the experience of playing European football.
Unlike Bayern who are just beginning their season, Hibernian are approaching the end of the season. The Bayern first leg begins a very hectic schedule, playing Bayern on Wednesday, Celtic on Sunday in the league, travelling to Bayern next week and then facing a Scottish Cup Semi-Final the next Sunday. So preparation and recovery would be vital, revealed Murray, with what they ate and how they rested being key. But despite the intensity, she assured us that the players, “want to be in these games. You want to be in the Champions League, you want to be in the Scottish Cup.”
Hibernian’s SWPL 1 rivals Glasgow City have had vastly more experience in the UWCL and Roberts commented that the Scottish Women’s football family is really close. He talked about the progress City had made from their painful 17-0 defeat to Turbine Potsdam – and how they had changed from a side that pressed high up the pitch to a more compact side.
Before the Hibs players leave the dressing room, Roberts final words will be about: “the work they put in every single day to be as close to a full-time professional athlete as possible and that’s the hard work that’s already been done. It’s about going to enjoy the occasion, believe themselves, back themselves and make sure they work as a unit.”
If the Hibs’ players can control the controllable in the game, then as Roberts says, the players can be proud of themselves, regardless of the result.
For more reports and news from the game go to: Tartan Kicks – the magazine for Scottish Women’s Football
England v France
Fri, 21 Oct 2016
8:00pm, Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster
Prices
Adults £7.50
Children/Conc £3.50
Family of 4 £15 (2 adults + 2 children)
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