After the medical tests, the blood values were also correct: Katharina Naschenweng was able to start training once more with Austria’s women’s national soccer team in the EM quarter in Bagshot late Tuesday followingnoon following surviving the corona infection. There, the preparation for the quarter-finals once morest Germany on Thursday (9:00 p.m.) will enter the decisive phase. It remains to be seen whether Viktoria Schnaderbeck can play a role in this.
Naschenweng had tested positive last Tuesday, but only had very mild symptoms and returned to the lawn a week later. According to team boss Irene Fuhrmann, the Carinthian had previously done easy cycling and ball exercises. “She’s doing very well, but we’ll have to wait and see how she’s doing in training. She’s also more of the type who doesn’t cope so well with the heat, so you have to be careful once more,” said the 41-year-old from Vienna.
According to media reports in Great Britain, an all-time heat record was broken on Tuesday, and at least 39 degrees were also announced in Bagshot. “The aim is to train briefly and to the point, but intensively,” stressed Fuhrmann. Whether with or without Schnaderbeck was open. On Monday, the captain had worked individually because of her knee problems. “It’s just as difficult a situation as before the Norway game,” said the ÖFB team boss. Due to her routine, the England legionnaire can best assess whether an assignment makes sense.
Georgieva ready to play once morest ‘preferred opponent’
“We are convinced that even if she is less involved with the team, she is extremely important when you see her presence and sovereignty on the field,” explained Fuhrmann. Pros and cons must be weighed carefully. “The fact is that we still have two days left, then we will make a decision for the team.” If it doesn’t work out, Marina Georgieva is in the starting blocks. The 25-year-old defender came on as a substitute in all three games.
ÖFB women are looking forward to the “girlfriends duel” once morest Germany
Now her hour might strike. “I don’t know if I’ll play, I can only say that I’m ready,” said Georgieva. Your anticipation mightn’t be greater. “For many of us, including me, Germany was a dream opponent, simply because it’s this clichéd competition between Austria and Germany and that has always been something special,” said the Lower Austrian, whose parents were born in Bulgaria. The DFB selection is the clear favorite. “But we all know that the favorites don’t always win.”
For years, Germany was far ahead of the ÖFB squad, in which there is no subsequent nomination for the substitute goalkeeper position because Isabella Kresche only suffered a slight ligament strain and a bruised ankle. “But we realize that we are catching up, that we are getting closer, so it will be interesting to see how things are now,” said Georgieva. She was under contract with SC Sand until the end of the season, so she knows most of the DFB team kickers from the German Bundesliga. “I would say that the Germans are sometimes a bit more restricted, a bit more stuffy, cooler than us Austrians. We are considered the fun, relaxed ones, I would say that we Austrians are popular in Germany,” the central defender revealed.
She is also popular because of her role as a DJane in the ÖFB team. “There is a lot of pressure to fill the two positions as well as possible”; said Georgieva with a smile. It is not certain whether she will stay in Germany, her contract has expired, the future will be clarified following the European Championship. It is best for them to be extended. Like Sarah Zadrazil, whose parents are touring England by car, she can count on the support of friends in the stands once morest Germany.
But that’s not the case with all ÖFB kickers. The fan support from home should be less this time. Many struggle with the fact that there are either hardly any free flights to London or when the prices are extremely high. “It doesn’t matter, people will be watching TV at home and giving their all there,” said striker Nicole Billa. This will probably also be the case on Vienna’s Rathausplatz, where the program of the film festival was changed on the initiative of Mayor Michael Ludwig: Instead of a Tina Turner concert, the EM quarter-finals can now be seen on the 300 square meter screen.
With a capacity of 17,000 spectators, the Brentford Community Stadium is the smallest in which the ÖFB team competes in this tournament. “It would be nice if it were full,” Billa hoped for a great backdrop.
(APA)/Image: GEPA
