Brøndby target final fling

Brøndby IF have reached the UEFA Women's Cup semi-finals once and the last eight twice - last season and now this - but as they prepare to face German champions 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam the Danish side have higher ambitions. "The final is our goal," declares midfielder Cathrine Paaske Sørensen.

Potsdam encounter
It was at this stage in 2005/06 that Brøndby fell 6-1 on aggregate to Montpellier HSC and will hope to give a better account of themselves as they prepare to face German opposition in this tournament for the first time. They come into the match having lost their final second qualifying round game 1-0 against Arsenal LFC which means Brøndby will be at home in Wednesday's first leg, and face group winners in the shape of Potsdam.

Home aim
Paaske Sørensen told uefa.com: "Usually German teams are very strong - just like their national team - but in spite of the fact that Potsdam won their preliminary group, while we only finished second in ours, I am not sure they are such frightening opponents at the moment, as they have lost several players. As we are going to play the first leg at home, our main goal here must be stopping Potsdam scoring, and then to score one or two goals ourselves. That will probably be a good result before going to Germany a week later."

Fortuna race
On the domestic front, Brøndby remain a dominant force. Danish champions for the last four years, Paaske Sørensen was one of nine players in the national team in the recent 1-0 defeat of Finland that secured 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification. They currently trail arch-rivals Fortuna Hjørring having lost the first of their three encounters this season 2-1, though eight games in only one point separates the title challengers.

More prepared
Paaske Sørensen said: "We simply did not seem to be ready for a top match when we lost in Hjørring. It may sound strange that we were not ready for one of the season's few top games, but the match was played only one week after a UEFA Cup outing, and one week before the decisive World Cup qualifier, and that may have been the reason for our lack of mental readiness. I am sure we can still win in Hjørring."

Domestic duopoly
That game is on 19 November, the last before the winter break, but other than meeting Fortuna, the club rarely receive the challenges in domestic football that Potsdam face in Germany. Paaske Sørensen is not convinced this is a disadvantage, though. "The situation is quite similar in practically all other major leagues in Europe," she said. "It is often the same teams who win the championship in the leading women's football nations in Europe, and in most of those countries there are also just two or three teams involved in the battle for the championship every year."