by FC Zurich will meet Birkirkara tomorrow at the Centenary Stadium in the final match of round one of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. In preparation, here is a summary of FC Zurich’s rise, key players and recent form.
Club History In The Competition
FC Zurich Women finds its origins in 1970 and has in fact been part of the Swiss championship since its inception. However, the team underwent a few changes until it got to its current operations as part of the umbrella of FC Zurich. Initially the team belonged to SV Seebach until 2005, following which it spent three years as an independent function, before joining with FC Zurich in 2008. In the span since 1970, the team has claimed twenty-four championships and fifteen Swiss Cups. Eleven of the twenty-four titles came since 2008, two of which came during the last two consecutive years.
Their illustrious spell at the top of their league has resulted in numerous participations in the European competition. Since its integration within FC Zurich, the team has made significant progress, despite having a few blips. The best performance achieved between 2012 and 2018 was to reach the round of sixteen, which the team first reached in 2016/17. They did so by dealing a hefty 9-0 aggregate win against Sturm Graz in the round of thirty-two, but were then humbled themselves by Olympique Lyonnais through a 17-0 aggregate in the round of sixteen.
The 2017/18 season marked the first and only previous encounter between Birkirkara and Zurich Women, which resulted in a 5-0 win for the Swiss. Following their success in the group, the team progressed into the R32 where they were eliminated by a 3-2 aggregate against Gintra Universitetas. However, they returned to the R16 in 2019, which saw them thwarted by Bayern Munich (5-0 on aggregate).
The team hosted round one in 2021 which marked the first year participating under the current format. It ended in a fourth-place finish after losing the semi-final to Milan and the third-place playoff to Valur. However, the team made the biggest statement in their return last year when they progressed to reach the group stages for the first time. They progressed from round one with a 6-0 win over KI in the semi-final and a 1-0 victory over Apollon Limassol in the final. They then ran riot against SFK 2000 in round two, where they won 10-0 on aggregate to proceed to the group stage. However, they were thrown into a bloodbath in the draw, pitted against Arsenal, Olympique Lyonnais and Juventus which saw the side dealt six losses.
This Year’s Competition, Key Players and Recent Form
Having lifted their twenty-fourth title last year, FCZ return to the competition in Round 1 of Group 11. Since the group consisted of just three teams, Zurich automatically progressed into the final of the first round based on their seeding, where they will meet Birkirkara after the latter’s victory over Breznica Pljevlja in Wednesday’s semi-final.
The team boasted five players who received the call-up to participate in the FIFA Women’s World Cup over the summer in Fabienne Humm, Seraina Piubel, Marion Rey, Nadine Riesen (since departed to Eintracht Frankfurt) and Julia Stierli. Switzerland topped Group A before being eliminated by eventual winners Spain in the round of sixteen by 5-1.
Besides these players, Coach Jacqueline Dünker was also supported with a number of recruitments over the summer. Diane Caldwell made the switch from Reading, with the thirty-four-year-old bringing heaps of experience across different competitions and leagues. The side also invested in youth, bringing in twenty-two-year-old defender Kattarin Stahl, as well as nineteen year old midfielder Amelie Schuster who joined from Bayern Munich II and Romy Baraniak from the second team of VFL Wolfsburg. Chiara Bucher also joined from Bayern Leverkusen. The club also tied down a few promising youth players of their own such as Sanja Kovacevic, Joy Lysser, Julie Gartmann, Alketa Rama and Luana Buerge.
Like Birkirkara, FC Zurich have already kicked off their league campaign (AWSL) and will come into the fixture buoyant by an undefeated season thus far. They won their opening fixture by 3-0 against Aarau Women thanks to a Seraina Piubel brace and a goal from Leela Egli. The team continued its form into the second match against Thun Bernese Oberland, which they won by 4-1. Egli was on the scoresheet again, alongside Viktoria Pinther, Chiara Bücher and Romy Baraniak.
The team is now focused on their UEFA Women’s Champions League encounter against Birkirkara as they set sights on another attempt at a deep run in the European competition.
Tickets for the match against Birkirkara may be bought online or at Intersport Malta for 5 Euro. Children and seniors are discounted at 3 Euro. The match will be played tomorrow Saturday 9th September at 18:00 at the Centenary Stadium.
Lead Image: FC Zurich Women
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