UEFA Women's EURO 2022 daily preview: What to look out for on Friday
Friday, July 8, 2022
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Spain start their campaign against Finland before Germany take centre stage with an opener against Denmark.
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Group B kicks off on Friday with heavyweights Spain and Germany making their bows at UEFA Women's EURO 2022 with tricky openers against Finland and Denmark respectively.
We preview the games in Milton Keynes and Brentford.
18:00 CET: Spain vs Finland (Group B, Milton Keynes)
Many feel this is the tournament when Spain have their best opportunity of a maiden triumph. They have reached the quarter-finals in the last two editions but their record in youth categories in the past few years and Barcelona's emergence in the UEFA Women's Champions League in recent seasons suggests there is more to come.
However, pre-tournament injuries to key pair Alexia Putellas and Jenni Hermoso have disrupted Jorge Vilda's plans and will boost a Finland side looking for a first competitive victory in this fixture. Should La Roja's fluidity be affected by those absences then Anna Signeul's counterattacking side could pull off an upset.
Key stat: Finland have yet to beat Spain in six competitive matches (D1 L5).
21:00 CET: Germany vs Denmark (Group B, Brentford)
Six consecutive Women's EURO successes stretching from 1995 through to 2013 gave Die Nationalelf an air of invincibility but their dominance has been eroded since their shock defeat by Denmark in 2017. However, coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg knows what it takes to reach the summit in this competition, having won it four times as a player, and who would bet against them tasting glory again this year?
Several of the players that starred in that landmark Denmark victory five years ago are likely to feature again here so expect a fearlessness about Lars Søndergaard's charges. "We defended really well and took the chances we had," said Pernille Harder when recalling that 2017 meeting. "Our mindset has to be to release the brakes. We're considered to be underdogs in these matches, so we have to be calm and relaxed."
Key stat: Germany have lost only three of their 40 Women's EURO final tournament matches (excluding penalty shoot-outs) – two of those defeats came against Denmark.