Germany vs Poland: Women’s Euros preview, team news & predicted lineups
As always, Germany come into the tournament as one of the favorites for the title. The eight-time champions will aim to get back into winning ways after failing to win back-to-back European championships for the first time since 1987.
There will be two Scandinavian teams in Germany’s group with Sweden, the winners of the first edition, and Denmark seeded alongside the most successful team in the Women’s Euros. Denmark knocked out Germany in the 2017 quarter-finals on their way to reaching the final for the very first time.
Their first test will be against one of the two tournament debutants, however. This is the first major competition for the Polish women's football team after they beat Austria in the playoff.
Germany lost the final to hosts England three years ago, and Christian Wück picked 11 players from that squad for his first tournament as their coach. Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, a four-time European champion as a player, was the coach in the 2023 edition.
In his brief spell with the women’s team, Horst Hrubesch led Germany to a bronze medal in last year’s Olympics. Germany last won a major women’s football competition in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, which will be the host nation for the World Cup in two years.
Team News
26-year-old fullback Giulia Gwinn is the captain of the German women's team. The most-capped player in the squad, Sara Däbritz, is one of the only four players currently plying their trade outside Germany.
Lena Oberdorf’s absence through injury/fitness is the biggest news in the squad selection since she won the best young player award in Euro 2022. Alexandra Popp retired from international football after the Paris Olympics. This season’s Bundesliga top-scorer, Nicole Anyomi, will also miss the tournament due to a knee injury.
Including Weronika Zawistowska, who won the double with Bayern Munich this season, there are six German-based players in Poland’s squad. Former Wolfsburg striker Ewa Pajor captains the side after her remarkable debut season at FC Barcelona.
Tournament Recap
Finland won their first women’s Euros game since 2009 with a narrow victory over Iceland, who finished the game with 10 women, in the opening match of the tournament. Katariina Kosola scored the winner with a beautiful curler.
In the same group, Ada Hegerberg led Norway’s comeback victory against hosts Switzerland. The first Ballon d'Or Féminin winner missed a penalty-kick, but it didn’t matter in the end as she scored Norway’s opener in a hard-fought 2-1 win.
16 teams will compete for the big prize in the 14th edition of the UEFA Women's Championship. The final will be played at the St. Jakob-Park on 27th July.
Germany v Poland: Predicted lineups
Germany: Berger; Linder, Knaak, Minge, Gwinn; Nüsken, Senß; Bühl, Dallmann, Brand; Schüller
Poland: Szemik; Zieniewicz, Woś, Dudek, Wiankowska; Achcińska, Pawollek, Kamczyk; Tomasiak, Padilla, Pajor
