Celia Sasic has warned England that a potentially partisan home crowd will provide Germany with extra motivation to extend their remarkable unbeaten record against Mark Sampson’s side at Wembley.
England have failed to beat Germany in any of their past 19 attempts going into Sunday’s international friendly but could be buoyed by the 55,000 attendance at the national stadium, a record crowd for a home women’s international (discounting Great Britain’s Wembley appearances at the 2012 Olympics).
Germany have won 17 of those 19 matches and the European champions are favourites for victory once again. While England are outsiders for next year’s World Cup in Canada, Germany are regarded as major contenders and one of the game’s most progressive nations in terms of infrastructure.
Sasic, 26, will earn her 99th cap at Wembley, one short of England’s Karen Carney, who is set to make her 100th appearance. The Germany striker is expecting a tough challenge but rejected the assertion that her team would feel the pressure when faced with vociferous opposition support.
“We just know Wembley from history and legend, from TV, so it will be very special. It’s not usual business,” said Sasic. “But our coach never speaks about the crowd. We just focus on the team, on the skills and on the players.
“We are all experienced enough to cope with that. I personally like to play in front of such a big crowd, especially when it is not our home crowd. This is something really motivating. We want to play our game, to show our great quality in the team. We don’t want to let England get into the game. We want to dominate and win.”
The most memorable fixture between the two sides in recent history was Germany’s 6-2 victory in Helsinki in the final of Euro 2009, of which there are a number of survivors in both squads. It was a rare appearance in a final for England, in stark contrast to Germany who have won the past six European titles.
Following the 2011 retirement of Birgit Prinz, the former Germany stalwart and world player of the year who scored 128 international goals in 214 appearances, Sasic has led the line and performed effectively, scoring 53 times for Silvia Neid’s side.
The Frankfurt forward believes Germany are not yet at their peak – which they hope to reach at the World Cup – but that the domestic league and grassroots structures in the country have allowed them to flourish in recent times.
“In Germany, women’s soccer is a bit more developed and we have maybe a longer history. The support from the association has been really great and we have been able to improve well and fast,” she said.
“Our league is at a high level so, when you get to the national team, there is not a big gap. There are many girls who could play for the national team. Maybe other countries aren’t where we are at this point.
“We can’t be at the level we want to be at yet. We have our games with our clubs, in the champions league, so it’s important to be at the top in June, when the World Cup starts. I think we will be well prepared. We know what we have to improve.”
Asked what it means to play at Wembley, Sasic added: “For us it’s a game against a team with really good skills. We’re all looking forward to it. It’s special to have 55,000 people there for an international game. The history of English and German football – it is fantastic to have the honour to play at Wembley as well.
“I think it will be tough. Most teams are extra motivated to play against Germany and England have very good players who are known internationally. It will be a tough game. Normally just our home games are filled so it’s a cool and an unusual situation for us. It would be great to score.”
