Kristan Mørch ahead of the spring opener: ‘We’re really excited.’”

After a long winter break, the A-League is finally set to resume. On Saturday at 15:00, HB Køge Women kick off the spring season when FC Nordsjælland visit Capelli Sport Stadion, and head coach Kristian Mørch is delighted that the matches are about to begin again.

“We’ve really been looking forward to it. From the moment the fixture list comes out, you start looking ahead to the games and planning around them. This is what it’s all about. It’s not in January — it’s now,” says Kristian Mørch.

HB Køge Women enter the spring season after a solid preseason in which the team has focused both on their style of play and their physical level. During the winter, the team has faced different types of opponents while also giving many players valuable match minutes.

“Overall, preseason has gone really well. We’ve had a good opportunity to build on things and we’ve played a lot of matches at a high level. We’ve also faced some boys’ teams and some slightly unfamiliar opponents, which have given us good physical challenges. At the same time, many players have had plenty of minutes on the pitch, so the workload across the squad is very evenly distributed right now.”

This also means the squad is in a strong position heading into the spring opener, where competition for places in the starting lineup is intense.

“There’s strong competition for the spots, and we have at least two players for every position pushing to play. We can easily play 11 versus 11 in training, so the squad looks really strong right now.”

Saturday’s opponents, FC Nordsjælland, have had a slightly different preseason compared to most teams in the league. The North Zealand side have already been in action in European competition and therefore come into the match with high-level match fitness.

“They’re already up and running and have been playing at a high tempo and level. Especially the final hour of their home match against Frankfurt looked really strong. So I expect them to come fully prepared and sharp from the first minute.”

According to Kristian Mørch, the match could also come down to which team manages to impose its style on the game.

“Matches against Nordsjælland are often a battle over who gets to dictate the way the game is played. They like very structured and controlled matches, and if they succeed with that, you can end up defending for longer than you might like.”

The last time the two teams met, the match produced one of the most spectacular games of the A-League season. This time, however, the head coach expects a more tactical encounter.

“We can’t expect to create as many chances as we did last time, when it turned into one of the wildest games in the A-League this season. So we need to be more clinical in both boxes than we were the last time we played them.”

After several months without matches in front of supporters, both players and staff are also looking forward to playing again at Capelli Sport Stadion.

“We’re really excited to get back and play in front of the fans. We haven’t played in front of that many people for several months, and the stadium is really starting to look like a great arena to play in. It can close in around the game and create an even better atmosphere and sense of support,” says Kristian Mørch.

The ball rolls again tomorrow at 15:00 at Capelli Sport Stadion. If you are unable to watch the match at the stadium, it will be broadcast live on TV 2 Sport X and TV 2 Play. The match can also be followed on our Instagram and Facebook.