After their superb 12-0 win in their opening qualifier for the 2017 UEFA Women's Championship, Germany are back in action tonight in Zagreb. Silvia Neid's side will be looking to take three more points from the Croatian capital.
A brief look at today's opponents' last result shows that a tougher task lies in wait for Germany's women than they faced in the helpless Hungarians - Croatia also won their opener, albeit by a lesser margin. They beat Turkey 4-1 last Thursday, scoring three goals in the closing stages of the match and in doing so underlining their ambitions in qualifying Group 5.
No replacement for the injured Petermann
That alone is an adequate reason for the Germany women to prepare themselves as diligently as ever for the clash. The squad of 20 has been in Zagreb since Sunday to gear up for the match, but Lena Petermann is not involved. The 21-year-old attacker from SC Freiburg suffered a slight concussion in a challenge in training, with manager Silvia Neid turning down the option to call up a replacement.
Captain Saskia Bartusiak, who scored her first and thus far only international goal against Croatia, is convinced that the game will be no walk in the park. "The team awaiting us are stronger than Hungary," said the 33-year-old defender from 1. FFC Frankfurt. "We need to continue where we left off on Friday; we did a lot of things very well. We need to play with just as much passion and show our willingness to get stuck in."
The team plan to travel home on Wednesday, ideally as group leaders with three more points in the bag. The next European qualifiers come at the end of October: on the 22nd, Germany play Russia in Wiesbaden, and three days later they take on Turkey in Sandhausen.
After their superb 12-0 win in their opening qualifier for the 2017 UEFA Women's Championship, Germany are back in action tonight in Zagreb. Silvia Neid's side will be looking to take three more points from the Croatian capital.
A brief look at today's opponents' last result shows that a tougher task lies in wait for Germany's women than they faced in the helpless Hungarians - Croatia also won their opener, albeit by a lesser margin. They beat Turkey 4-1 last Thursday, scoring three goals in the closing stages of the match and in doing so underlining their ambitions in qualifying Group 5.
No replacement for the injured Petermann
That alone is an adequate reason for the Germany women to prepare themselves as diligently as ever for the clash. The squad of 20 has been in Zagreb since Sunday to gear up for the match, but Lena Petermann is not involved. The 21-year-old attacker from SC Freiburg suffered a slight concussion in a challenge in training, with manager Silvia Neid turning down the option to call up a replacement.
Captain Saskia Bartusiak, who scored her first and thus far only international goal against Croatia, is convinced that the game will be no walk in the park. "The team awaiting us are stronger than Hungary," said the 33-year-old defender from 1. FFC Frankfurt. "We need to continue where we left off on Friday; we did a lot of things very well. We need to play with just as much passion and show our willingness to get stuck in."
The team plan to travel home on Wednesday, ideally as group leaders with three more points in the bag. The next European qualifiers come at the end of October: on the 22nd, Germany play Russia in Wiesbaden, and three days later they take on Turkey in Sandhausen.
