The women’s national team’s relaxed opening match in the World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria is now followed by the game against Serbia on Tuesday. Defender Sophia Kleinherne and national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg do not expect a similar walkover.
“We will be challenged more,” believes Voss-Tecklenburg. The national coach rates Serbia, who await the DFB women in Chemnitz on Tuesday (4pm, LIVE! on kicker) as part of their World Cup qualifying campaign, as stronger than Bulgaria, who were dismantled 7-0 by the young DFB side to start their qualifying campaign for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“It will be a completely different game, we can expect a different calibre,” Sophia Kleinherne of Eintracht Frankfurt is also sure. “They’ll be putting pinpricks forward, we’ll be challenged in a completely different way,” said the defensive player.
“We have a very young team. And we try to give them a safe framework. “
MARTINA VOSS-TECKLENBURG
However, regardless of this, the DFB eleven is “pursuing the clear goal of taking the next three points”, as Voss-Tecklenburg underlines. A six-point start would put the DFB women at the top of Group H, which still has Israel, Turkey and Portugal as opponents.
Voss-Tecklenburg is hoping for a more relaxed game against Serbia than against Bulgaria, and is taking herself and her coaching team to task: “We have a very young team. And we try to give them a safe framework.”
Only 1200 tickets sold so far
Speaking of the frame: That was, as far as the crowd in Cottbus is concerned, with only 1534 spectators expandable. But not many more fans are expected in Chemnitz either. Only 1200 of the 5000 available tickets have been sold. “It’s nice for us to have spectators in the stadium again at all,” Kleinherne and her teammates don’t let that influence them, however, and want to “offer the spectators something. We want to be the dominant team again and convince with brave, offensive football up front. “
