At the start of the European Championship qualification, the German women’s national soccer team has to reorganize itself a bit, but is still favored in the duel with the Austrians. The first three points are to be collected in Linz on Friday evening (April 5, 2024) on the way to the final round in Switzerland in the summer of 2025.
By Kristoffer Klein, Linz
It will be a first night for the DFB women. For the first time, national coach Horst Hrubesch’s team is visiting Austria for an international match (8.30 p.m., live on Erste, the ARD media library and at sportschau.de) – after two victorious home games in 2016 and 2018, as well as the exciting 2-0 in the European Championship quarter-finals in England 2022.
International matches, DFB women arrow right
The premiere will also take place in a stadium where a women’s international game has never been played: in the arena of the Linz Athletik-Sport-Klub, known as “LASK” for short, which only opened at the beginning of 2023. Around 8,000 fans are expected there for this neighborhood duel.
“We want to dominate the game and will try to take control of the game from the start,” said interim national coach Horst Hrubesch at the final press conference. His players gained a certain level of security from the victory at the end of February in the Netherlands and the associated Olympic qualification and are confident in themselves.
Gwinn and Oberdorf in new roles
Right-back Giulia Gwinn from Bayern Munich will lead the DFB team as captain for the first time in Linz. The 24-year-old represents Alexandra Popp from VfL Wolfsburg, who cannot play in Linz or in the second European Championship qualifier against Iceland next Tuesday in Aachen due to knee problems.
“It’s always good when you have a captain who can lead the way, and Giuli has shown that she can do that,” said Hrubesch, explaining the decision he made together with the team. For Gwinn, wearing the captain’s armband is also a reward for her hard work in recent years, which have been marked by serious setbacks. She tore her cruciate ligament twice – first in September 2020, then in October 2022. But she also made her way back twice and is currently one of the strongest full-backs in Europe again. After Svenja Huth’s resignation, her Wolfsburg club colleague Lena Oberdorf acted as her deputy.
Also missing are Marina Hegering (torn muscle fiber in her calf) and, at short notice, midfielder Sara Däbritz, who suffered an adductor strain in training and has already returned to her club Olympique Lyon. Leverkusen’s Elisa Senß was nominated for her, having initially declined, but has since recovered from her viral illness. The only newcomer in the 23-man squad is Bibiane Schulze Solano from Athletic Bilbao.
DFB women expect physically strong opponents
The Austrians are probably the most unpleasant opponents in the German qualifying group. The ÖFB selection, with around a dozen Bundesliga players in the squad, is in 17th place in the FIFA world rankings, two places behind Iceland, but has continuously developed in recent years.
The third opponent, Poland, is ranked 29th and is considered an outsider. “We want to keep the three points with us and play with pressure and energy,” said defender Sara Doorsoun, referring to the game in Linz. The Austrians have been well coordinated for years and are, above all, physically strong. Nevertheless, the signs are clear: anything other than a victory for the DFB women at the start of the European Championship qualification would be a big surprise.