Women's EURO: contenders get ready
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Article summary
With UEFA Women's EURO 2017 set to kick off on 16 July we see how the 16 contenders are preparing: who has named their squad, who are dealing with injury blows?
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The latest from the 16 teams
Netherlands
Earlier last week the hosts played two friendlies, losing 1-0 to Japan in Breda but beating Austria 3-0 in Deventer, Vivianne Miedema scoring her 39th international goal on her 50th appearance, more than a month before her 21st birthday.
Coach Sarina Wiegman, appointed in January, announced her squad in June – by which time it was confirmed that all three of the hosts' group games had sold out. They face Wales in Rotterdam on 8 July.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Sari van Veenendaal (Arsenal), Angela Christ (PSV Eindhoven), Loes Geurts (Paris Saint-Germain).
Defenders: Sherida Spitse (Twente), Mandy van den Berg (Reading), Sheila van den Bulk (Djurgården), Stefanie van der Gragt (Bayern München), Kelly Zeeman (Ajax), Desiree van Lunteren (Ajax), Liza van der Most (Ajax), Kiki van Es (Achilles '29), Dominique Janssen (Arsenal).
Midfielders: Jill Roord (Twente), Jackie Groenen (FFC Frankfurt), Anouk Dekker (Montpellier), Daniëlle van de Donk (Arsenal).
Forwards: Lieke Martens (Rosengård), Shanice van de Sanden (Liverpool), Sisca Folkertsma (PSV Eindhoven), Vanity Lewerissa (PSV Eindhoven), Renate Jansen, (Twente), Lineth Beerensteyn (Twente), Vivianne Miedema (Bayern München).
Norway
Last Sunday's 1-0 loss to the United States came at the conclusion of their most recent training camp. "At times we showed we are able to hold the ball enough to create chances, but we were unable to create enough," said Ada Hegerberg. They will assemble on 5 July and visit Sedan to face France six days later.
Squad
Denmark
With the Danish league due to end at the weekend, the squad did not convene as many others had done in June, having instead committed to a 23-strong training get-together in May without American-based duo Nadia Nadim and Line Jensen. With the squad named they lost 2-1 at home to England 1 July and visit Austria five days later ahead of the finals.
Squad
Belgium
The Red Flames came from behind to draw 1-1 with Japan in Leuven on 13 June after a week-long training camp. After naming their squad they travelledfor a friendly in Spain on 30 June and lost 7-0, with home games against France and Russia to follow before the short trip over the Dutch border.
Squad
Germany
Champions since 1995 and chasing a seventh straight title, Germany face Brazil in Sandhausen on Tuesday. Steffi Jones's 29-strong provisional selection met up on Sunday for a 15-day camp ahead of the Brazil match, now cut to 23. Alex Popp, Simone Laudehr and Melanie Leupolz missed out through injury but Lena Goessling is in after recovering fitness.
Squad
Sweden
On 8 June Pia Sundhage oversaw a 1-0 defeat in Gothenburg by her former team the United States, but five days later in Vaxjo a late Caroline Seger header ensured they beat Scotland 1-0, only the fourth game in nine 2017 fixtures in which Sweden have scored. Sweden still have to play Mexico in Falkenberg on 8 July.
Squad
Italy
The provisional squad of 30 met up in June for the first of two five-day training camps in Coverciano before Antonio Cabrini revealed his final 23 on 5 July. They completed their friendly programme with a 1-1 draw in England in April.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Laura Giuliani (Köln), Chiara Marchitelli (Brescia), Katja Schroffenegger (Unterland Damen).
Defenders: Elisa Bartoli (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Brescia), Federica Di Criscio (AGSM Verona), Elena Linari (Fiorentina), Cecilia Salvai (Brescia), Linda Tucceri Cimini (S. Zaccaria).
Midfielders: Barbara Bonansea (Brescia), Marta Carissimi (Fiorentina), Valentina Cernoia (Brescia), Laura Fusetti (Como 2000), Aurora Galli (AGSM Verona), Manuela Giugliano (AGSM Verona), Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sandy Iannella (Cuneo), Martina Rosucci (Brescia), Daniela Stracchi (Mozzanica).
Forwards: Melania Gabbiadini (Verona), Cristiana Girelli (Brescia), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Daniela Sabatino (Brescia).
Russia
Following a run of five straight losses, things looked ominous when Russia fell two behind to Serbia in June but they rallied with an Elena Danilova hat-trick to win 5-2 then beat the same opponents 2-0 a few days laer. Belgium are their hosts on 11 July.
Squad
France
France became the second team to name their final 23-strong squad on 30 May, two days before much of that selection took part in the UEFA Women's Champions League final between Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain. However, on 6 July they announced that Amel Majri was ruled out, replaced by Clarisse Le Bihan. Now in their final training camp, they will be hosting Belgium on 7 July and Norway four days later.
Squad
Iceland
A team record crowd of 7,521 was at the Laugardalsvöllur Stadium on 11 June to see Iceland lose 1-0 to a Marta goal for Brazil. However, they lined up without all-time top scorer Margrét Lára Vidarsdóttir, who will miss the finals with the same cruciate ligament rupture that has already ruled out her sister Elísa and Dóra María Lárusdóttir. "This sucks, as simple as that," Vidarsdóttir said: "Now other girls will step up, I trust them 100% to deliver."
Squad
Austria
Tuesday's 3-0 reversal to the Netherlands in Deventer was not a happy introduction to the stadium where Austria will make their final-tournament debut on 18 July against Switzerland – they went two down inside three minutes. Austria have not beaten any of the 15 other finalists since overcoming Russia and Portugal in the March 2014 Algarve Cup, but can put that right at home to Denmark on 6 July.
Squad
Switzerland
A side shorn of the injured Ramona Bachmann and rested Lara Dickenmann crashed 4-0 at home to England in June, in Switzerland's last scheduled pre-finals friendly. They met up again on 26 June, though Selina Kuster is not there having been sidelined for the tournament with a knee injury. An otherwise strong-looking squad was named on Monday.
Squad
England
Mark Sampson announced the FIFA Women's World Cup bronze medallists' squad on 7 April, almost three months before the deadline. And having met up on 5 June, they looked sharp on Saturday as they won 4-0 in Switzerland with a goal from Fran Kirby, her first international outing for a year after injury. Their preparations continued with a 2-1 win in Denmark on 1 July, 12 days before they head to the Netherlands after a training camp in Valencia.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Karen Bardsley (Manchester City), Siobhan Chamberlain (Liverpool), Carly Telford (Notts County).
Defenders: Laura Bassett (Notts County), Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), Alex Greenwood (Liverpool), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Jo Potter (Notts County), Alex Scott (Arsenal), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Casey Stoney (Liverpool).
Midfielders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Isobel Christiansen (Manchester City), Jade Moore (Notts County), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Fara Williams (Arsenal).
Forwards: Karen Carney (Chelsea), Toni Duggan (Manchester City), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Nikita Parris (Manchester City), Jodie Taylor (Arsenal), Ellen White (Birmingham City).
Scotland
Even members of the team that Scotland will face on 19 July, England, expressed their sorrow at the anterior cruciate ligament rupture that will keep Arsenal forward Kim Little out of her team's first finals. "We are devastated," said Scotland coach Anna Signeul. "First and foremost for Kim, and for the team as well of course." Still, they at least had a promising week in which they beat Romania 2-0 and defended stoutly before losing 1-0 in Signeul's native Sweden. However, just ahead of naming her squad Signeul also lost Jennifer Beattie to injury. They play a last friendly against the Republic of Ireland on 7 July.
Squad
Spain
A sell-out crowd watch Spain lose narrowly 2-1 to Brazil in 35C heat in Fuenlabrada in their penultimate friendly before welcoming Belgium on 30 June.
Squad
Portugal
Francisco Neto was able to have a last look at his players before announcing his squad on Monday as they played two games against Wales in Viseu, losing 2-1 then winning 1-0. The squad will assembled on 26 June, has now been cut to 23, and departs for the Netherlands on 15 July, four days before opening against Spain in Doetinchem.