Hammarby Women will face St Polten Women at the Tele2 Arena on Wednesday in their opening group-stage match of the Women’s Champions League. The Swedish champions are embarking on their first-ever European campaign, while the Austrian side is featuring in the group stage for the third consecutive season.
Match Preview
Hammarby Women Hammarby are competing in their maiden Women’s Champions League campaign after winning the 2023 Damallsvenskan title. They entered the competition in the second qualifying round and faced a tough tie against Benfica. Despite losing the first leg 2-1 at home, Hammarby staged a remarkable comeback, winning 2-0 in the away leg to progress to the group stage. Since then, they have continued their strong form, recording a 2-0 win over Örebro and drawing 0-0 with Linköping on Friday.
With three consecutive clean sheets, Hammarby will be aiming to maintain their defensive solidity in this crucial first group game. Head coach Martin Sjögren will be hoping his side’s confidence from qualifying and recent performances will carry them through.
St Polten Women St Polten return to the Women’s Champions League after winning their ninth Austrian Bundesliga title. Their European journey began in the first qualifying round, where they secured victories over Neftçi Baku and Vllaznia, followed by an 8-0 aggregate win against ZNK Mura in the second round. This will mark their fourth appearance in the group stage in five seasons.
Despite being held to a 0-0 draw by Bergheim in their last league game, St Polten are unbeaten in 23 matches across all competitions. The Austrian champions will be hoping to bring their domestic dominance into the European stage but will need to end a poor away record in the Women’s Champions League, having lost their last three away group-stage games.
Team News
Hammarby Women Hammarby will be without forward Klara Folkesson, who is recovering from an ACL injury. While Anna Josendal and Lotta Ökvist are back in light training, they will not be ready for this match. Smilla Vallotto and Julie Blakstad could return to the starting lineup after being rested in the draw against Linköping.
Possible Hammarby Starting XI:
Tamminen; Lennartsson, Carlsson, B. Andersson, J. Andersson; Miyagawa, Joramo, Vallotto; Wangerheim, Blakstad, Tandberg
St Polten Women St Polten are missing defender Ella Touon, who remains sidelined through injury. Kamila Dubcová, who has netted seven goals since joining from AC Milan in the summer, will be one of their main attacking threats. Melike Pekel will also lead the line for the Austrian side.
Possible St Polten Starting XI:
Schlüter; Wenger, Mikolajová, Vracevic, Klein; Madl, Hillebrand, Mattner-Trembleau; Dubcová, Pekel, Brunnthaler
Prediction
Hammarby will be buoyed by their qualification success against Benfica and their current defensive form. Playing at home will further boost their chances of securing a win. St Polten, while a formidable side, have struggled on the road in recent European campaigns, which may give the Swedish side an edge.
Prediction: Hammarby Women 2-1 St Polten Women
