Renée on what to expect from HB Koge Women

Renée Slegers is no stranger to HB Koge Women, having pitted her Rosengard side against them back in the early 2020s.

This Tuesday, she’s tasked with beating the Danish side again as we look to get back to winning ways in the beginning of the UEFA Women’s Champions League league phase.

Ahead of the 8pm kick-off at Meadow Park, our head coach said: “I’ve played against them, when I was coaching Rosengard, it’s just over the bridge, so we played against each other in training games, so I did have a little bit of a picture of the club and understood already a couple of years ago that there was investment.

“I think when those teams are owned, I think it’s both on the men’s and the women’s side, but if a club is owned, or two clubs are owned by the same owner and then playing in similar competitions, that’s when it becomes an issue of course.

“But I know the investment is there and pushing the game forward, and that’s really positive.”

Asked about what kind of tactical challenge we should expect from the leaders of Denmark’s top tier, Renée continued: “They're a good team. I think they have a really good counter-attacking threat with the two players up top. They will try to close down spaces. We're expecting, whether that's a back four or back five, we'll see when they come out.

“But, yes, definitely respecting the threat that they can pose from fast attacks and counter-attacks. But, again, we're expecting to face a low block tomorrow.”

Following our recent draws against Crystal Palace and Manchester United in the Women’s Super League, one reporter asked if a result on Tuesday night could be the springboard we need to propel us into a positive vein of form.

“We look forward to the occasion because it's also another competition,” Renée replied. “We go into Europe again. We're going to play in the Champions League under the lights against international opposition. So it's nice. We go into something new. And this is step one in our Champions League journey.

“So, yes, definitely, you really feel excitement and a fresh energy going into this game.”