Eintracht Frankfurt's women's team open a mini-tournament at their own stadium this week as they chase a place in the next round of Champions League qualifying. Coach Niko Arnautis's side face Omonia Nicosia of Cyprus in a knockout match on Wednesday at the Brentanobad, with the winner advancing to Saturday's final against whoever comes through the tie between Norway's Valerenga and Sweden's Malmö FF.
Both matches kick off at 7pm. Whoever wins Saturday's final moves into the third qualifying round, which is set for 26 August and 2 September. A year ago, Frankfurt were knocked out at this stage by Real Madrid, one of the most successful clubs in European football.
Player Sara Doursoon said the clear goal was to win the mini-tournament. Arnautis said the first task was getting past Nicosia, though he and his squad had also set their sights on winning at home. He said they had worked very hard for a year and were looking forward to the tournament.
Familiar Route Through Qualifying
This is the fifth year in a row that Frankfurt have earned a place in European competition by finishing third in the Bundesliga the previous season. In that time, they have reached the Champions League group stage only once, in the 2023/24 campaign.
Arnautis described Nicosia as a beatable opponent for now, but called the Scandinavian sides very, very serious opponents. He said that regardless of the other teams, the focus was on Frankfurt's own performance. He said the club carries a certain identity, adding that they want to bring supporters along and excite them by playing attractive, purposeful football.
Freigang Stays as Captain
The team is playing its home tournament in the middle of pre-season training. The squad has been together for four weeks, with two more to go before the Bundesliga season begins. Despite the early start to competitive football, experienced defender Doursoon said she saw no problem getting up to speed quickly. She said her focus was simply on the mini-tournament and the Champions League, and that she was eager for it to begin.
Laura Freigang will continue as captain, Arnautis confirmed. Doursoon had recently been mentioned as a possible option for the armband, with Freigang going through a difficult period. Freigang missed three doping tests, triggering an investigation by the German Football Association, or DFB, and a prolonged period of uncertainty. A final ruling on the case, which could result in a suspension for Freigang, may still take some time.
Arnautis played down the issue, saying the squad does not sit in a circle every morning discussing it, and that if they were not reminded of it daily, they would have already forgotten about it. Keeping the captaincy with Freigang, he indicated, was also a way of supporting the team's senior player.
