The first victory of the World Cup year is here: In the endurance test of European Vice Champion against Vice World Champion, the DFB women in the Netherlands want to gain momentum for the title mission.
With the new contract in her pocket, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg was bursting with energy. So a prestigious neighborhood duel in the Netherlands is just right for the national soccer coach.
“These are always duels at eye level, these are duels that are fun,” said the good-humored Voss-Tecklenburg to get in the mood for the welcome endurance test at the Vice World Champion on Good Friday (8 p.m. / sportstudio.de) in Sittard.
There, the Vice European Champions are aiming for their first win of the World Cup year in the sold-out Fortuna Stadium (12,500 seats). Finally, for Alexandra Popp and Co., the hot phase before the title hunt in Australia and New Zealand has begun in the summer.
Hard tests for DFB women: The World Cup casting rolls on
The World Cup casting is noticeably in full swing. “In games like this you can show yourself at the highest level, it’s always a chance to prove yourself,” said Laura Freigang at the press conference in Frankfurt am Main on Thursday.
The memory of the last guest appearance at the European champions in 2017, which was lost 2-1 in February 2021, serves as motivation for the Eintracht striker: “We want to win again.”
The magic word against the team of former Bundesliga coach Andries Jonker, who has been Oranje Leeuwinnen’s Bonds coach since September, is “intensity”. That was missing in the zero against Sweden in February. “The game under pressure is also a priority, they will stress us, so we need good solutions,” demanded “MVT”.
Physically, things will get down to business in Nuremberg on Tuesday (6:00 p.m. / ARD) as in the second cracker against possible opponents in the last 16 of the World Cup, Brazil. And that’s a good thing with a view to the World Cup from July 20th to August 20th. “We want to show that we can be there on the spot and defend ourselves physically,” said Bayern Munich’s Sydney Lohmann.
Hard tests for DFB women: The World Cup countdown is on
There was a fresh tailwind at the beginning of the week when the national coach’s contract extension up to the EM 2025 was announced. “It gives security and freedom for the head to concentrate on football,” said the 55-year-old with a smile.
Meanwhile, Melanie Leupolz, who is back with the national team for the first time after her baby break, still has to be patient. Six months after the birth of her son, she had to have her broken nose fixed on Wednesday – the Chelsea midfielder should therefore only make her comeback with a special mask against Brazil.
The 28-year-old played her 75th and most recent international match in November 2021. Leupolz’ big goal is to take part in the World Cup, where two-time champions Germany will meet Morocco, Colombia and South Korea in the group stage.
In any case, the countdown is ticking in the fight for squad positions. After the current measure, there are only two more home games as part of the final training camp in Herzogenaurach. On July 11, the DFB entourage will then take off for Down Under.
