Kristian Mørch ahead of FCM: “We need to be focused from the start”

Another big test awaits in the A-Liga on Saturday as HB Køge Women host FC Midtjylland at Køge Idrætspark. It is first versus third in the league, with a top-of-the-table clash on the cards.

The Swans head into the match on the back of an important victory after last weekend’s difficult away trip to Fortuna Hjørring. Two goals from Nadia Nadim secured a 2–1 win and three points for HB Køge Women.

Head coach Kristian Mørch was pleased with the performance in Hjørring, while also seeing areas where his team can continue to improve.

“We were pleased with many aspects of our performance. It’s one of the toughest away trips of the season to go to Hjørring and beat a strong team. We were happy with a lot of what we did, but we also felt we had more to give.”

A rare full week on the training pitch

After a busy run of fixtures, HB Køge Women have finally enjoyed a full training week without a midweek match. That has given the coaching staff time to work on the team’s game before turning their attention to Saturday’s challenge.

“It’s been really good. We’ve been able to get back to some of the parts of the game that made the players fall in love with football in the first place. It’s not just about matches and tactics — it’s also about playing a bit more freely.”

“Earlier in the week we were able to train with a bit more intensity, and towards the end of the week we’ve really zoomed in on this game. It’s been great.”

A more structured FC Midtjylland

FC Midtjylland have made a strong start to the season and currently sit among the league’s top teams. Mørch believes Saturday’s opponents have evolved significantly since last season.

“They’ve strengthened their squad with players who already know the A-Liga and understand what it takes. At the same time, they’ve become much more structured. Last season they were very open and man-oriented, whereas now they’re more organised and less chaotic.”

That means HB Køge Women are preparing for a side capable of defending compactly while remaining dangerous on the counter-attack.

“It’s going to be a difficult game. They probably won’t open up too much against us, but they’ll also want to stick to their own identity and build from the back. They’ll be ready to hit us on the counter, so we need to be focused from the start.”

A demanding run of fixtures begins

Saturday’s match also marks the beginning of a packed schedule for HB Køge Women. On Tuesday, the team travel to London to face Arsenal FC in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, before entering an intense run of matches.

That schedule is also a factor when selecting the squad for Saturday.

“We’re looking at how our squad is strongest across the entire run of games we have coming up. We’re playing one of Europe’s best teams on Tuesday, and then we go into a very compact fixture schedule.”

“So we’re thinking about how we manage that in the best possible way, and the squad will reflect those considerations.”

Kick-off is at 13:00 at Køge Idrætspark. If you can’t make it to the stadium, the match will be shown live on TV 2 Play.