Title-defenders VfL Wolfsburg have managed to secure their place at the top of the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga table thanks to a 7-0 win at Herforder SV on Wednesday afternoon. FC Bayern have the chance to overtake the two-time winners from last season on Sunday. In an interview with DFB.de, Wolfsburg’s striker Lina Magull spoke about the title challenge. The 20-year-old youth national player was also looking ahead to the clash against Austrian rivals SV Neulengbach in the Champion’s League final sixteen round on Sunday (14:00 CET).
DFB.de: Ms. Magull, your busy week will be rounded off with the Champion’s League battle against Nuelengbach on Sunday. How do you rate your opponents?
Lina Magull: We haven’t analysed Neulengbach as a team yet. We were focused on Herford up until yesterday. We’re looking at them match by match but I can’t comment that much on the opponents yet. They’re not in the final sixteen for the fun of it, so we all respect them and won’t take them lightly.
DFB.de: VfL Wolfsburg have won the Champion’s League two years running. Do you feel pressurised because of this?
Magull: Of course that’s the case, but it’s not a particularly bad thing. A lot is expected of us and rightly so. Our aspiration as a team is to reach the final. We know what we’re capable of and want to be in the competition until the end.
DFB.de: Are the Champion’s League matches personal highlights of the season?
Magull: Absolutely. Champion’s League games are always something special. You’re playing against international top teams and can’t put in any bad performances because you’ll be out of the competition. They’re knock-out matches that you have to win, that’s what makes it more exciting. There’s high concentration, and that’s great.
DFB.de: How stressful is it at the moment with a match every three days?
Title-defenders VfL Wolfsburg have managed to secure their place at the top of the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga table thanks to a 7-0 win at Herforder SV on Wednesday afternoon. FC Bayern have the chance to overtake the two-time winners from last season on Sunday. In an interview with DFB.de, Wolfsburg’s striker Lina Magull spoke about the title challenge. The 20-year-old youth national player was also looking ahead to the clash against Austrian rivals SV Neulengbach in the Champion’s League final sixteen round on Sunday (14:00 CET).
DFB.de: Ms. Magull, your busy week will be rounded off with the Champion’s League battle against Nuelengbach on Sunday. How do you rate your opponents?
Lina Magull: We haven’t analysed Neulengbach as a team yet. We were focused on Herford up until yesterday. We’re looking at them match by match but I can’t comment that much on the opponents yet. They’re not in the final sixteen for the fun of it, so we all respect them and won’t take them lightly.
DFB.de: VfL Wolfsburg have won the Champion’s League two years running. Do you feel pressurised because of this?
Magull: Of course that’s the case, but it’s not a particularly bad thing. A lot is expected of us and rightly so. Our aspiration as a team is to reach the final. We know what we’re capable of and want to be in the competition until the end.
DFB.de: Are the Champion’s League matches personal highlights of the season?
Magull: Absolutely. Champion’s League games are always something special. You’re playing against international top teams and can’t put in any bad performances because you’ll be out of the competition. They’re knock-out matches that you have to win, that’s what makes it more exciting. There’s high concentration, and that’s great.
DFB.de: How stressful is it at the moment with a match every three days?
Magull: I love playing football, and whether it’s a match in the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga, the Champion’s League or the DFB Cup, they’re all equally as good. Of course it’s stressful and we have to regenerate in order to be ready for the next match, but this is something we’ve got the hang of.
DFB.de: You’ve been a regular starter for Wolfsburg recently. Do you think this has been your best phase?
Magull: I think I’m on the right track. I know that I have more to give and I’m very self-critical, so I wouldn’t say that it’s my best phase yet. I’m happy that I play a lot of games and make plenty of appearances. I’ll keep working so that it stays like this, and so I’ll get better. The most important thing is that we have success as a team and play good football.
DFB.de: What do you make of the current situation in the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga?
Magull: There’s an exciting situation at the top of the table with us, Bayern, Potsdam and Frankfurt. Bayern are playing fantastically and are headed to the top. It’s surprising that Duisburg haven’t managed to take many points from their matches. Every team is playing well, with Essen, Freiburg and Jena looking dangerous as well.
DFB.de: Are there four teams in the race for the title?
Magull: There are four teams who have the chance to take the title because of the strength of their squads. Perhaps there will be another team who will surprise us, but in any case it’s exciting.
DFB.de: How does it feel to be hunted? Is every team especially motivated against the title defenders?
Magull: I believe that every team is more motivated when playing against us, so we have to play at our best to win every match.
DFB.de: Is the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga stronger this year than ever before?
Magull: There are always good and bad teams in every league. It’s the same this season. Every team can win against any team or at least come out of it with a draw, which is also happening this season. There’s a surprise in every match.
