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At the 2016 Olympics, Germany made up for not qualifying for the 2012 Games by winning gold for the first time, adding that to three consecutive bronze medals (2000, 2004, 2008.) Things were looking up for Die Nationalelf going into the 2017 Euros, but after winning their group they lost their first knockout match to eventual finalist Denmark. Which Germany will we see in France?
The Team
Our @DFB_Frauen squad for the #FIFAWWC!
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) May 14, 2019
The following players will travel to the training camp and are on standby:
2️⃣4️⃣ Kristin Demann
2️⃣5️⃣ Lisa Schmitz
2️⃣6️⃣ Lena Lattwein
2️⃣7️⃣ Pauline Bremer
2️⃣8️⃣ Felicitas Rauch #DieMannschaft pic.twitter.com/PVuGOpXKJU
The biggest loss from 2017 is Anja Mittag, and her 50 international goals in 154 games. The 33-year-old retired from international play after the Euros, but Germany gets back Alex Popp’s 45 goals in 93 games, as the forward missed out on the Euros through injury.
How They’ve Fared
Germany has never missed a World Cup, and this will be their eighth. They won two consecutive tournaments, in 2003 and 2007.
How They Qualified
They eased through qualification, topping Group 5 by winning all of their games but one, a 2-3 home loss to Iceland.
Group
B, with China, Spain, and South Africa
Player You Know
Star of the best club team in Europe, Lyon, Dzsenifer Marozsan is a force in midfield. Wearing the number 10 for both club and country, she has 33 goals in three seasons at Lyon, and 32 goals in 98 games for Germany. These would be decent numbers for a forward, but outstanding for a midfielder. Germany’s success is not strictly tied to her, but her play can go a long way toward deciding Germany’s fate.
Player You’ll Know Soon
Relatively inexperienced on the international stage, Lina Magull has just 30 senior caps to her name, but the 24-year-old is far from green. The midfielder has played in two U-20 World Cups, and U-17 and U-19 Euros, but this is her first senior World Cup. After three seasons at SC Freiburg, Magull moved to Bayern Munich this past summer, and helped guide her new side to a second place finish, four points behind champion Wolfsburg. I expect Magull to see a lot of minutes in this tournament, and her knack for getting into goalscoring positions will be a boon for her country.
World Cup Outlook
Germany should win their group relatively easily, even if Spain may pose a little bit of a challenge. Winning their group would get them one of the third place finishers, and a potentially easy ticket to the quarterfinals. Anything other than a semifinal would probably be very disappointing for Germany, and the talent in this side should take them at least that far.