Popp’s absence in the match against Austria not planned
Captain Alexandra Popp is not expected to play in the last Olympic test of the German women’s football team in Hannover against Austria. The chances of the striker playing in the European Championship qualifier on Tuesday (7:00 pm/ARD) were described by national coach Horst Hrubesch as „close to zero at the moment.“
The 33-year-old from VfL Wolfsburg was absent in the 0-3 defeat in Iceland due to a foot irritation and meanwhile trained with her club. Hrubesch had previously stated that it was a „decision based on reason.“ According to DFB information, Popp is indeed fit for play.
„Everything is prepared for us to take Poppi to the Olympics and get her into top form by then,“ Hrubesch explained at the final press conference. Therefore, it is not planned for her to play in the last test. „She will, however, be on the bench, that’s for sure.“
The same applies to Marina Hegering: The defense chief and club teammate of Popp had recently recovered from a calf injury. Popp is the last remaining German player who was on the field during the gold triumph in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The German women’s team will kick off against fourth-ranked Australia on July 25 in Marseille at the Summer Games. The other group stage opponents are record World Cup champions USA (July 28) also in Marseille and Zambia (July 31) in Saint-Étienne.
Hrubesch left open the question of who will play in goal against the Austrian team. Regular goalkeeper Merle Frohms was in goal in Iceland. Ann-Katrin Berger, who is under contract in the USA, is also nominated for the Olympics.
The national coach had previously not revealed who was the definite choice for France. „I’ve said: Once both international matches are over, we will decide what to do,“ Hrubesch said.
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