Seven players on the injury list and only one centre-back.
Then Jessica Wake, 30, could get an unexpected key role in the all-important Champions League match away to Benfica.
– I played a few singles matches there, so I can’t say that I got used to it right away, says Wik.
It’s a scrappy champions team who are in Portugal for their Champions League meeting with Benfica. At least seven players were missing when the team took off south.
– Unfortunately, three midfielders (Athena Pearson Lundgren, Rebecca Knack, editor’s note Emma Berglund) and Seger, who could have been substitutes, have disappeared, said coach Rene Sligers.
Defense General Emma Berglund missed the final of the series and the Champions League meeting with Barcelona. When she might return to the field is not clear.
– He’s a little chasing butt. Certainly not bad, but not great either. We’ve got great matches to look forward to, so it’s a little stressful, but I hope it works out,” Berglund said when she was named Defender of the Year at Molsvenskan Women’s last week.
Knack took a hit against Bayern and Persson Lundgren felt a cut in his groin, but the hope is that she will be able to get back into the game, perhaps as early as the home game.
This means that the only centre-back is Guðrún Arnardóttir, but that does not worry the Icelander.
We’ll work it out as always. She says it is important for us to have a big team with many good players.
“You have to take more responsibility.”
Prior to the meeting with Benfica, Rosengård worked out two emergency workarounds. Bianca Schmidt and Jessica Wake. Above site for left back Wik.
– It must have worked well. You play the position the coaches want you to play. The biggest challenge, Wick says, is probably that there’s so much to control other people out there.
– If you play with someone who is not used to playing as a centre-back, you have to control them more, says Arnardottir.
Do you get an important extra role in set-piece situations when you have strong first-line players like Berglund and Knak away?
Maybe I have to take more responsibility defensively and offensively so hopefully I can score a goal or so. laugh.
After playing two matches, Rosengård and Benfica each had zero points. Winning away is almost a must if the dream of promotion from the group is to continue.
– It will be important for us to start scoring points in the group. Now is a great time for us to do that, Arnardottir says.