Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall says that he expects TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to come out in an aggressive manner when the two sides contest their final UEFA Women’s Champions League group match in Germany on Wednesday.
The Gunners are on the verge of qualification for the quarter-finals while their opponents must win by five or more goals to leapfrog the Barclays FA Women’s Super League club and advance themselves.
Given the fact that Hoffenheim face an uphill battle to qualify and need to score lots of goals, Arsenal boss Eidevall said that he expects the Germans to come out with an aggressive attacking style in the early stages of the game.
“It’s an interesting one isn’t it because they probably have a big belief in the way that they play, that it will be the best possible way to get a result,” Eidevall said when speaking in the pre-match press conference. “At the same time, when you need to score a lot of goals, it helps to score a goal early.
“They will play the way that fits them best but I expect them to come out and play with a lot of progression, a lot of intensity in the beginning, maybe even with the intensity that you would usually see in the last 15 minutes of a game, they might start to attack the game at that point to get the goal. That part of it we need to be prepared for but with most parts, they may be consistent in the way that have been playing this season.”
Hoffenheim are the third-ranked German qualifier in this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League but Eidevall said that they are an exciting team to watch.
He said “It’s an exciting side, I like to watch them play. I think they are a very good team and they have some really, really good young talents. You see a player like (Jule) Brand, the wide forward. She was born in 2002 and she has such high quality in a lot of things that she does. They have a number of other really, really talented players as well, I think they have a really exciting team.
“I see their games against Barcelona and they have parts of those games where they play absolutely brilliant. For me, it’s a team that deserves the utmost respect. In a very even Bundesliga this season, they’re definitely having possibilities so far to involve themselves for fighting for the finest medals there.
“By no means are we taking this easy, it’s a top European side we are going to play against tomorrow.”
The UEFA Women’s Champions League group fixture between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Arsenal kicks-off at 8pm on Wednesday evening. The match will be available for fans to stream live on DAZN.
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