Wiesbaden (dpa) – Australia benchmark: After Belgium and the Netherlands are European champions at the start of the 2021 international match, one of the most interesting teams in world football is the German women’s national team test on Saturday (4.10 PM / ARD) in Wiesbaden. .

Matilda, as Australians are called, have stepped up step by step to the top of the world, and with good reason, they are now among the favorites in major tournaments – especially in 2023 when they host the World Cup with New Zealand. On Tuesday (4 PM / ZDF), the next strong contender in the German Football Association selection is waiting again in Wiesbaden with the Norwegians.

“Australia is a very interesting opponent, and we rarely play against them,” said Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, the national team coach, of the team. “They are physically strong, well trained and have some excellent players.” The last meeting so far was at the 2016 Olympic Games in Sao Paulo. On her way to Olympic gold, Matilda almost became a stumbling block. After trailing 2-0 and calling by Sarah Depritz, two minutes before the end of the preliminary round, there was a happy equalizer with an own goal for the Australians.

“It was a game at a very high level,” said Dabritz. “I don’t remember the game just because of my goal.” The PSG playmaker will also be important in Wiesbaden. You have to lead the young team in the absence of some regular players like Dzsenifer Marozsan. All in all, the German team is on the verge of taking another step forward. “The team has already developed really well since the World Cup 2019 Finals. However, at 1: 2 in the Netherlands in February, we also saw the adjustments that still need to be made. We’re on our way to the 2022 European Cup in England which is not over yet,” he says. Dabritz.

Against Australia with the best striker in the world currently Samantha Kerr, who plays for Chelsea and recently taught Wolfsburg Wolfsburg fear in the Champions League, it is important for the DFB to take advantage of their strength. “We should not participate in physical duels because we will have problems. For us, the match without the ball will also be important, but it is also direct and fast groups. The motto for this match and next Tuesday against Norway is: maximum and quality,” says Voss Tecklenberg.

Given the many matches her national players have played from Bayern Munich and VfL Wolfsburg, the national coach wants close attention to controlling pregnancy and accepting waivers as well. “We are not going to demand everything, so we don’t see everything,” Voss-Tecklenburg says.

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