Brøndby await Baku test

The name of Brøndby IF is hardly an unfamiliar one of the European stage - indeed the team currently leading the Danish men's Superligaen will this month complete a century of matches in major continental competition. However, the club's appearance in the UEFA Women's Cup quarter-finals is a new experience.

Brøndby title
Fortuna Hjørring had clearly established themselves as the prime force in Danish women's football, and last season were aiming for their sixth Elite Division title in a decade as they stormed through to the Women's Cup final at their first attempt. But having already lost the European final to Umeå IK, their passage to the tournament for this term was blocked by Brøndby, who won their first domestic championship.

New experience
Coach Peder Siggaard has now led his team through to the Women's Cup last eight on their own tournament debut after beating Serbo-Montenegrin title-holders ZFK Mašinac-Classic Niš, Scotland's Kilmarnock LFC and Icelandic side KR Reykjavík in their group without conceding a goal. Victory in their two-legged tie against Azerbaijani champions Gömrükçü Baku would leave Brøndby with a possible semi-final against Umeå, and Siggaard, whose side play their home leg on Saturday, admits that the competition has been an eye-opener for his side.

European bow
"The qualifying round was the first time that we had played any European games," he told uefa.com. "To play against teams from other countries was very inspiring. You have to adjust the way you play because different teams have different styles which give a new challenge as we are all used to playing teams in our own country."

'Difference in styles'
Baku are also in their first quarter-final, and when asked what he knew of his opponents, Siggaard admitted: "Absolutely nothing! It is very difficult to get information." He added: "There is a difference in style and levels. We are lucky to come from a country which has played women's football for a long time. I have experienced some new things, when we played the team from Serbia they had man-to-man markers in every position - something I had never seen before!"

Home leg vital
Brøndby's male team secured their passage past their first two UEFA Cup opponents this season with home first-leg wins, and Siggaard knows that his side must do similar ahead of the return in Baku on 29 November. "Our main aim is to do well in the first leg," he said.

'Lots of publicity'
Hjørring currently lead Brøndby by a point in the Elite Division. However, Siggaard has no hesitation in praising his rivals' run to the 2002/03 final. "It was very good," he said. "The two games received lots of publicity and were on television, as were the semi-finals. We do not usually get the publicity that women's football gets in Sweden or Norway so it was a chance for the Danish public to learn more about the game and see it rather than just talk about it."

Busy season
Still, Brøndby have won the both of their league meetings with Hjørring this season by a 3-0 margin, the most recent an away victory on 11 October. Siggaard said of his busy team's domestic form: "In out last game we started with six Danish internationals and then one more came on as a substitute to make seven. The team play together a lot and by the time we finish for a winter break on 1 December many of them will have played 28 games. We are tired, but the Women's Cup will help get rid of the tiredness."