The women of 1. FC Union Berlin are taking unusual approaches in their preparations

The management of 1. FC Union Berlin could have made things a little easier for the women's team's preparations. Instead of gaining some confidence in front of the opposing goal with a few friendly matches against lower-league teams, they consciously chose a different approach. For the first friendly against Pogon Szczecin, Polish champions two years ago and third in the Polish league last season, they chose VfL Wolfsburg , the seven-time German champions, as their second opponent, and Real Madrid as their guests for the season opener next Sunday.

1. FC Union Berlin deliberately takes on excessive demands

Not only impressive club names, but also top-class opponents for a newly promoted first division team. "Preparatory training is structured so that you also play against strong teams. We're moving from the 2nd division to the 1st division – the athletic difference is obviously huge, and by playing against such top teams, we hope to overperform a bit so that we're in the lead right from the start," says managing director Jennifer Zietz about the choice of opponents, adding: "So we're taking on a bit of an over-exertion, knowing that the result isn't the main focus, but rather our athletic development. And to see where our areas of improvement are, and so the players can see what they have to prepare for."

Looking back at the 3-2 win in Szczecin a week and a half ago and the 2-0 victory on Sunday in Wolfsburg, the issues seem to be relatively minor. In both matches, coach Ailien Poese's players not only left the field as winners, but also played very good football, which gave no indication that the team was in the midst of preparing for the new season. Or, as was the case on Sunday in Wolfsburg, with heavy legs from the previous six days at training camp, they weren't exactly in the best physical condition.

And they didn't even have the full squad available for this test. The absence of Hannah Eurlings is particularly painful. Last week, the Iron Ladys had to announce that the Belgian international, who was only signed in the summer, suffered such a severe injury at the European Championship that she will first have to undergo long-term rehabilitation before wearing the Union jersey for the first time. "We haven't finalized our squad planning yet. Of course, an absence like this isn't nice, and you can't prepare for it, but things like this can always happen," said Zietz. "We'll make sure we react to it, because the absence will be long, and we need fit players right from the start for our first Bundesliga season."

But first, we'll continue working with the players who are currently fit for action. And we've been working quite diligently with them over the past few weeks – on and off the pitch. While Eurlings and I are also dealing with "a few injuries, I think we'll have everyone back, except for the long-term injured, by the start against Nuremberg. I think that halfway through the preseason, the foundations have been laid; now we're slowly moving on to the fine-tuning and details of the tactical aspects and technical execution," says Jennifer Zietz.

This work will once again take place in Berlin this week. After the victory in Wolfsburg, the team returned to Köpenick. On Wednesday (11 a.m.), the team will once again present itself to the fans at a public session at the Oberspree training center. On Sunday (3:30 p.m.), the season opener will take place at the An der Alten Försterei stadium with the aforementioned match against Spanish runners-up Real Madrid.

After the match against Real Madrid, the Union players have the day off

But the Iron Ladys are taking an unusual approach not only during the game, but also afterward: The players are given time off and have training plans for this time, as the Managing Director of Women's Professional Football explains. "During preparation, you spend a lot of time together; football happens not only on the pitch, but also off it. And then, before a long season, it's good to clear your head beforehand, and the players can be with their families again – many of the players are no longer from Berlin either. So it's good to be able to pool your resources again to gain a clearer perspective," says Jennifer Zietz.

After a detailed analysis of the past weeks and matches, they will be taking another close look at the squad and potentially making changes in the coming days. This will ensure the team is optimally positioned, both in terms of athletics and personnel, for the season opener against 1. FC Nürnberg on September 7th.