Germany’s Women’s national team will be going into their 16th encounter with France on Saturday evening, as the DFB Team is currently taking part in the SheBelieves Cup in the United States. DFB.de lists the important facts going into this game.
Steffi Jones on the game: “Our goal will be again to have lots of possession. We also want to work on our defence. Playing against a well-rounded French team, it will be important to have a good structure and give support in attack. We will stay true to our course and continue to give a lot of players a chance to play while we’re here. That’s why we will field a different formation against France.”
Head-to-head record: Germany have managed nine wins from the previous 15 encounters with France, while suffering three defeats and three draws. The last time they met was also at the SheBelieves Cup in March 2016, where the DFB Team recorded a 1-0 victory thanks to Leonie Maier’s goal.
The opponents: Of the 23 players in France’s squad, Elise Bussaglia is the only one not currently playing for a French club, after she joined VfL Wolfsburg back in 2015 and won the DFB-Pokal with the Wolves in 2016. Ten players in France’s squad are under contract at Olympique Lyon – the current French champion, Cup winner and Champions League winner.
Trends: After eight games without a defeat, Germany suffered their first in the 1-0 loss against the United States. It was also the first time a German Women’s national team failed to score a goal since the stalemate draw with England in November 2015. France have only lost two of their last 16 games. Since their 1-0 loss against Canada in the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games they have managed to remain unbeaten in their last six games (4 wins, 2 draws).
Current news: Germany have scored eight of their last ten goals before the break, including their last five. Prior to conceding against England, France had managed to keep a clean sheet for 463 minutes. France have scored six of their last eight goals in the second half, with three of their last six goals being scored in the final 15 minutes of their games.
Always in action: Anja Mittag is the only player to have made an appearance in each of the last 53 games. The 9-0 victory against Russia in September 2013 was the only game she has missed in the last 74 matches.
Milestones: Anja Mittag has scored 49 goals and is set for a milestone achievement with her next goal. Mittag also made her 150th national team appearance against the United States, leapfrogging Renate Lingor in fifth place in Germany’s all-time appearance charts. The next defeat would be the 75th in the history of Germany’s Women’s national team. So far, they’ve recorded 305 wins and 58 draws in 437 games.
