Back to the site of the greatest triumph
Back to the site of the greatest triumph
With the 1-0 win against Slavia Prague in Mladá Boleslav in November 2022, Mária Mikolajová marked SKN's first win in the group stage of the UEFA Women's Champions League. On Thursday both teams will meet again in the Městský stadium.
91st minute in the SKN Women's Champions League group game against Slavia Prague in Mladá Boleslav. At the center circle, Rita Schumacher plays a ball to Mária Mikolajová. The attacker runs towards the penalty area, hesitates briefly and then shoots ice-coldly into the goal of keeper Olivie Lukášová. The Slovakian's 1-0 win on November 23, 2022 not only earned her the “Player of the Match” award, but was also a historical milestone - the first victory for a red-white-red team in the UEFA Women's group stage s Champions League. On Thursday there will be another direct duel between the two teams in Jungbunzlau.
This is made possible by a pitch renovation in the Eden Arena, which means they have to move to Mladá Boleslav - the place where they triumphed last season. The SKN Women have been working since the beginning of January to correct the mistakes made in previous Champions League games. “It was good that we were able to test against a robust and strong opponent before the duel with Slavia,” said coach Liese Brancao, who can now rely on several variants in attack thanks to Valentina Mädl’s comeback. The performance in the 3-1 win against RB Leipzig last weekend offers hope for another point win at the Městský stadium.
On the Czech side, they are pushing aside the role of favorites, knowing how dangerous their opponents from St. Pölten are. Although Slavia only started their winter preparation a few days after the Wolves, Karel Piták – Czech women's coach of the year 2023 – would like to build on the performance in the first leg: “One of our best performances in the last two years. We have to act more calmly in front of the opponent's box. Then I am sure that we will score the goals we need,” said Piták. A view that defender Lucie Bendová shares with her coach. She also wants to celebrate with the home fans about goals against St. Pölten. The Prague team has not given up hope of progressing, even if they are aware of the difficult starting position. “We want to win! If we beat St. Pölten and Brann, we'll have seven points. Of course the chance of progressing has decreased due to the draw in the NV Arena, but we definitely want to win against St. Pölten to keep our chance of reaching the quarter-finals alive,” said Coach Piták. A project that is also being pursued by the Lower Austrians.
Visitors to the game in Mladá Boleslav will enjoy free entry to the Městský stadium on Thursday, so Slavia are also counting on strong support from the stands. Fans of the SKN St. Pölten Women can watch the game live on Thursday from 6:45 p.m. via DAZN.
UEFA Women's Champions League 2023/24 - Addendum 4th round group stage
Thursday, January 18th, 2024 / 6:45 p.m. - Venue: Městský stadion, Mladá Boleslav
Slavia Prague - SKN St. Pölten Women
Live on DAZN
