Women’s Bundesliga against Frankfurt: “It’s time” – Cologne and Bremen want the coup

As of: March 28, 2026 • 11:53 a.m

Serious injuries have often slowed down Pauline Bremer’s career. But the former top talent always came back – and established himself in the Bundesliga at 1. FC Köln. FC are underdogs in the game against Eintracht Frankfurt (Saturday, 5:55 p.m., live on Erste), but Bremer isn’t the only one spreading optimism before the game.

The balance sheet speaks for itself: the footballers from 1. FC Köln have duel with the Frankfurt team 15 times and lost 14 times. Cologne only came close to winning in one game – and that was the first leg of the current season.

“The first leg against Frankfurt was very close,” recalls FC striker Pauline Bremer in an interview with WDR. The Cologne team dominated the game, especially in the first half, and deservedly led for a long time. It was only in the final phase that the guests ran out of strength. Substitute Bremen almost made it 2-0 on a counterattack, but national player Nicole Anyomi made it 1-1 in stoppage time.

Victory for FC? Pauline Bremer: “It’s time”

Will FC’s first win happen in the second leg? “It’s definitely time,” says Bremer emphatically. “We’re already imagining our chances.” However, Eintracht is the favorite not only because of the balance sheet, but also because of the current table constellation: Cologne is in eighth place, the SGE has Champions League qualification in sight in third place.

Eintracht is also playing in the European Cup this season and suffered a 3-0 defeat against the Swedish club BK Häcken during the week – a circumstance that gives Bremen hope: “Frankfurt obviously has a top team, has great individual players, but they also play an English week, which is perhaps an advantage for us.” Eintracht will travel to Sweden for the second leg next Thursday (April 2nd).

Cologne women with a stable season

Bremer’s optimism is not surprising given Cologne’s stable season. After FC was only able to win a total of three games last year and was stuck in the bottom of the table, coach Britta Carlson’s team has clearly improved in terms of play. With eight wins already, the team is firmly in the middle of the field, which can be seen as a success after last year.

“We can be very proud of the season we have had,” says Bremer. The team would like to continue the “positive development” – even if there are no longer any big jumps in the table with five games remaining. “We definitely want to consolidate the situation and get the maximum points.”

Top signing Bremer: “There’s still potential”

Bremer’s conclusion to her own season is a little more mixed. Alongside central defender Marina Hegering, the 21-time German international was signed from Brighton last summer as an absolute top transfer. The Cologne team got off to a bumpy start and the 29-year-old missed the start of the season due to an injury.

“I got better and better and was able to help the team with goals,” says Bremer, describing her 16 league games and five goals. “Of course I know that there is still potential there too. I would like to become even more consistent and simply grow together with the team even more in the future. But I’m happy with the first season so far.”

Injuries slow Bremer down

The ambition of the former top talent is unbroken. Bremer repeatedly emphasized that she had not yet closed the “national team” chapter – even though her last nomination was six years ago. For a player like Bremer, who went through all the junior national teams and made her debut in the senior team at the age of 18, many had predicted an even more successful career. But there is an obvious reason why Bremer was no longer the first choice in the DFB team at some point: injuries.

“Of course, without the injuries, more would have been possible,” says Bremer. At the end of 2017 she broke her leg and at the end of 2020 she tore her cruciate ligament. The downtimes were long in each case. “The serious and major injuries set me back a lot. But then also the small setbacks that I kept having.”

“I’m happy about every minute”

After many stages in his career – including winning the Champions League twice with Olympique Lyon – Bremer seems to have arrived in Cologne. “I’m just happy about every minute that I can be on the pitch and playing at this level,” the Ossenfeld native puts the positive in the foreground. “I have no remorse or anything like that.”

Most recently, Carlson Bremer started twice from the start, and against Frankfurt he also had a place in the starting line-up alongside top scorer Sandra Maria Jessen (12 goals). After the partial success in the first leg, something should happen with FC’s first win against Frankfurt.

Our sources:

Broadcast: wdr.de, “Pauline Bremer and the Cologne women meet Eintracht Frankfurt”, March 27, 20269:35 p.m