The BVB women are hitting the road again, heading to Cologne for the fourth time this season to face Fortuna Köln on Friday evening. After a commanding 3-1 home victory against SSV Rhade at the Rote Erde Stadium, the team is riding high on confidence.

Coach Markus Högner was full of praise for his squad's performance, highlighting their "dominant display with what felt like 85 percent possession." The defensive unit stood firm, limiting Rhade's chances and quickly responding after conceding an equalizer. With only four Regionalliga West matches remaining, Högner anticipates facing more deep-lying opponents like Rhade, who had conceded just eight goals in eight second-half games before meeting BVB. "We'll need to keep working on our positioning," he noted. "It's something we've focused on intensively in training this week."

On the personnel front, the team will be without Marina Scholz for the Friday night clash. "She's dealing with a thigh strain and likely won't return to training until next week," Högner explained, confirming the midfielder's absence.

Fortuna Köln, based in the southern part of the city, have been a revelation in the second half of the season. With 18 points from nine games—five wins and three draws—their only defeat came against 1. FC Köln's U21 side. This marks a dramatic turnaround from the first half of the season, when BVB thrashed them 6-0 while Fortuna sat in tenth place. Now, they've climbed to fifth, just one point behind fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusen. Högner is well aware of the challenge: "Fortuna Köln have plenty of quality and experience. They also added Danielle Bender in the winter, a dangerous striker who's scored five goals in her last four games."

This marks BVB's fourth trip to Cologne this season, following matches against 1. FC Köln's U21 team, Vorwärts SpoHo Köln, and Deutz 05. The routine remains the same for every away fixture. "Before we leave, we have a relaxed team meeting at Brackel, making the most of the excellent facilities at the BVB training centre," Högner shared. It's all part of the preparation as they look to keep their momentum rolling on Friday evening.