Cherry pie weekend as top teams play easy fixtures: Frauen-Bundesliga Week 14 Preview

· Bayern Munich have a fixture against lowly Duisburg as they seek to keep pressure on Wolfsburg as competition hots up at the top

· Frankfurt date 11th place Werder Bremen as they seek guarantee of a UEFA Women’s Champions League place

Wolfsburg will be looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season when they play away to Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday afternoon.

Tommy Stroot’s side were handed a 2-1 defeat by Hoffenheim last weekend, a result which ended their 100% record in the league, and now travel to Leverkusen with their work clearly cut out after second place Bayern Munich capitalised and reduced the gap to two points with a 2-0 win over Werder Bremen last weekend. Leverkusen, on the other hand, will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing nil-all draw away to FC Köln last weekend, an uphill task for them as they face the wounded wolves.

Wolfsburg will unleash the unrelenting Ewa Pajor who has appeared 11 times for them in the Bundesliga this term, scoring nine goals in 708 minutes – a goal in every 78 minutes – and making five assists. The 26-year-old German international stands tall, leading the pack as joint-top scorer on the Bundesliga goal charts alongside Freiburg’s Janina Minge while being second top assist raker in the Bundesliga after Bayern Munich’s Carolin Simon.

Wolfsburg will also set Alexandra Popp on Leverkusen. The 31-year-old forward has made 13 Bundesliga appearances for the Lower Saxony side this term, scoring eight goals in 939 minutes – a goal in every 117 minutes – and making two assists. Popp is joint-third top scorer in the current Bundesliga campaign alongside Bayern Munich’s Lea Schüller.

On the other hand, Leverkusen will deploy Swiss striker Amira Arfaoui who tops their internal goal charts with four goals. They will also hope that defender Caroline Siems, who is club second top scorer with three goals, will come to the party as they seek a crucial sixth win of the term.

The visitors welcome forward Svenja Huth back from suspension. The 32-year-old did not feature in their 2-1 defeat to Hoffenheim last weekend having received two yellow cards in their 3-0 win over SGS Essen before the international break.

Wolfsburg sit at the top of the Bundesliga table on 36 points from 12 wins in 13 outings whilst Leverkusen are a distant sixth, 20 points away with five wins, one draw and seven losses in the same number of encounters.

Meanwhile, former champions Bayern Munich will be looking to keep pressure on Wolfsburg when they play at home to lowly Duisburg on Friday evening.

The Bavarians cruised to their 11th win of the season with a 2-0 victory over Werder Bremen last weekend and will be looking to make it nine wins in a row as they seek to reclaim the Meisterschale. Duisburg, on the other hand, were 3-0 winners over Turbine Potsdam last weekend, their first win in five games and fourth of the season, and will be looking to add momentum with a task away at Bayern, however daunting.

Duisburg defence, marshalled by 19-year-old defender Paula Flach, will have to be circumspect in their dealings as Bayern will let loose Schüller and midfielder Linda Dallmann. Schüller has made 13 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern this term and scored eight goals and made one assist. She is joint-third top scorer on the current Bundesliga charts. Dallmann has made two less Bundesliga appearances than Schüller this term, scoring six goals.

Bayern are second on the standings on 34 points from 11 wins and a draw in 13 ties whilst Duisburg are ninth on 13 points from four wins and a draw in the same number of contests.

Eintracht Frankfurt will be looking to keep champions league hopes in place when they play away to Werder Bremen on Saturday afternoon.

Buoyant following their 4-1 dispatching of Freiburg last weekend, the Frankfurt side will be in high spirits to walk over their beleaguered 11th placed opponents. Werder Bremen, on the other hand, will be looking to rebound from a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich last weekend, which was their seventh loss of the term.

Lara Prašnikar will be deployed with intentions to cause distress to the hostesses. The 24-year-old forward has made 13 Bundesliga appearances for Frankfurt this term, scoring seven goals. The visitors will also unleash Laura Freigang. The 25-year-old forward has made 10 Bundesliga appearances for Frankfurt this term, scoring five goals.

Werder Bremen will be without midfielder Nina Lührßen who was shown a red card after receiving a second yellow in their 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich last weekend.

Frankfurt are third on the standings on 29 points from nine wins and two draws in 13 encounters whilst Werder Bremen have collected 10 points from two wins and four draws in the same number of outings.

Fourth place Hoffenheim will be looking to keep pressure on Frankfurt in the battle for champions league football when they play at home to Meppen on Sunday afternoon.

Effervescent after handing defending champions Wolfsburg their first defeat of the term with a 2-1 victory last weekend, the hostesses will look to easily dispatch their struggling visitors from Meppen. The visitors, on the other hand, will be looking to rebound from a disappointing one-all draw against Essen last weekend and record a crucial fifth win of the term.

Forward Nicole Billa scored Hoffenheim’s winning goal against Wolfsburg last weekend and will be raring to replicate her form in this fixture. The 27-year-old has made 13 appearances for the hostesses, scoring six goals in 699 minutes — a goal in every 116 minutes — and making three assists.

Hoffenheim have amassed 26 points from eight wins and two draws in 13 contests whilst Meppen have collected 13 points from four wins and a draw in the same number of ties.

Freiburg will be looking to keep their champions league hopes alive when they play away to Essen on Sunday.

The visitors were at the receiving end of a 4-1 result away to Frankfurt last weeknd and will be looking to bounce back with a win over Essen whilst the latter will be looking to rebound from a disappointing one-all draw against Meppen last weekend.

The visitors will place their hopes in Minge, whose goals have taken them thus far in the league. The 23-year-old midfielder has made 13 Bundesliga appearances for Freiburg this term, scoring nine goals in 1170 minutes — a goal in every 130 minutes. Minge is joint-top scorer in the current Bundesliga campaign.

Freiburg are fifth on the log on 22 points from seven wins and a draw in 13 outings whilst Essen are seventh on 14 points from four wins and two draws in the same number of encounters.

Potsdam will be looking for an evasive first win of the term when they play at home to Köln on Sunday afternoon.

Potsdam are at the bottom of the log on a single point from one draw in 13 ties whilst Köln are 10th on 11 points from three wins and two draws in 13 contests.

Click on a match below to follow it Live! on forzafootball.com and on the Forza Football App

FIXTURES: Friday 10 March, 2023 (19:45) Bayern München vs. MSV 02 Duisburg

FIXTURES: Saturday 11 March, 2023 (13:00) SV Werder Bremen vs. Eintracht Frankfurt

FIXTURES: Sunday 12 March, 2023 (13:00) TSG 1899 Hoffenheim vs. SV Meppen

FIXTURES: Sunday 12 March, 2023 (13:00) Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. 1. VfL Wolfsburg

FIXTURES: Sunday 12 March, 2023 (16:00) SGS Essen vs. SC Freiburg

FIXTURES: Sunday 12 March, 2023 (16:00) FFC Turbine Potsdam vs. 1. FC Köln

All Times are Central European Time (CET)