25 August 2026
The Women's First Team are back in European action this midweek, taking on St. Polten in the first leg of their Women's Champions League qualification playoff.
Ahead of the away leg in Austria, which kicks off at 20:45 CEST on Wednesday, 26 August, Bianconere coach Isaac Guerrero spoke to preview the game.
TOUGH OPPOSITION
“We’re aware that we’ll be up against a strong team. This is a club that, first of all, managed to beat Austria Vienna, who won the Austrian league, and they also came through some difficult matches in the second qualifying round. St. Polten were able to knock Sporting Clube [of Lisbon], a team of the highest level even in European competition, out of the race for a place in the League Phase.
“So, we know this isn’t a game we can take lightly. We are facing a team that will do everything they can to make things difficult for us.
“It doesn’t matter whether you play the first leg at home or away, but it’s important to start on the right foot. Sometimes you can do that better on a pitch you know well, so playing at home can be an advantage. At other times, having the second leg away from home can be more complicated, so you would prefer to take some sort of advantage, however small, into the second 90 minutes.
“There is no exact science to it, but we are very confident that we can produce a good performance tomorrow, and that’s what matters most. They will have the support of their fans, and we will have ours, but I can’t say whether it is better or worse to play away from home first. I’ll tell you in a week…”
CHARACTER NEEDED
“I can already see great signs of maturity in this team. They started working hard on 6 July and I’m seeing real growth within the group. They came through some tough matches in the Mini-Tournament in Biella, and now what I expect from my team is to continue along this path, approaching tomorrow’s match with character and maturity.
“I’m sure they’ll do that regardless of the result. They’ll go onto the pitch with the right spirit and try to take centre stage, just as they have throughout these opening weeks together.
“I don’t really look at the players’ ages. They do their talking on the pitch, and I expect a high-level response from every single one of them, just as they have shown in the previous matches we’ve played, both friendlies and competitive fixtures.
“It’s true that we have a good group of players who have experience in this competition, and I’m sure they have the desire and hunger to play in it again. They’ll do their very best alongside all of our other players who perhaps haven’t had the opportunity to experience it yet.
“We have a lot of talent in the dressing room. Now we have to show it.”
