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Diane Caldwell admits that the Republic of Ireland will have to have the ‘game of their lives’ to beat Germany in qualifying for the Women’s Euro 2021 on Saturday, but the defender believes her team can cause a big surprise.
Ireland are currently at the top of Group I, one point ahead of Germany, who have a match in hand.
Vera Pauw’s team will also have their toughest games of the season to come as they will play Germany at home and away with a trip to Ukraine in between.
If Ireland can get even a point in those two games against Germany it would offer a huge boost to their qualifying hopes, but the Germans have a perfect record in the group with four wins out of four and have yet to concede a goal and have scored 31 goals.
Caldwell, who plays his club football in Germany, knows exactly what his team will face in Essen on Saturday (1pm).
“We are under no illusions about the challenges ahead, second in the world are not in vain,” he said.
“They just had a really good result against England in a recent friendly in which they beat them 1-0 and they are a team in transition, but so far they have had an incredible qualifying campaign, 31 goals scored and none conceded. .
“So it will be a formidable challenge for us.
“We know that we are going to have to do our best and have the game of our lives.
“At club level, when you play against the best teams like Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich, which are full of German internationals, you know that the pace of the game from the beginning is going to be very high.”
Caldwell has been practicing his trade in Germany with SC Sand since 2016 and has faced most of the members of the German national team at the time.
As captain of SC Sand, Caldwell’s experience and level of knowledge about the German team could provide an additional advantage for her international colleagues and she offered no shortage of information on the individual quality of the Germans when asked.
The 32-year-old said: “The real key players will be Dzsenifer Marozsán, she plays for Lyon, but the other key players would be Lina Magull from Bayern Munich and Linda Dallman from Bayern Munich too, but I just found out that it was removed from the team due to injury.
“Alex Popp is always a threat, probably the best header of a ball in women’s football.
“In all positions, even if they have injuries, they have players who will come in and be at the same level. It’s across the board, they are not even the first 11, they are the players on the bench as well.”
Caldwell also warned about 22-year-old Bayern Munich forward Lea Schuller, who has averaged just over one goal every other game since making her international debut.
“Lea Schuller came from Essen, she had a little unknown talent and then she burst onto the scene.
“She has an incredible scoring record and is a very difficult forward to face. She has a bit of everything, she is athletic, she is tall, she is very good in the air and very good on her feet.
“He loves getting the ball and a contact turn and he walks away right away. That’s his trademark and he’s someone we have to take care of.”
Speaking last month, Ireland’s coach Vera Pauw admitted that realistically winning in Ukraine was the priority, but insisted that “we will never leave a chance if we can get a result in Germany, because every point will count towards (qualify as ) the best team in second place. “
And as good as the Germans are, both individually and collectively, Caldwell refuses to be intimidated and insists that Ireland must have faith in their own abilities and in their coach’s game plan.
Discipline and a high level of concentration will be key if Ireland wants to get something out of the game, he believes.
“He’s overwhelming as a defense, but you have to be really focused,” he said. “We need to be very thorough and precise in our game plan and preparation, and we are just trying to take the game in pieces, trying to get to halftime still in the game.
“Obviously, there will be times when you get back on the wall, but you will need to have those transition phases in the game, you will also have to try to have an offensive mindset.
“It’s going to be a team effort of hard work and concentration. [We have to be] very disciplined and attached to the game plan.
“It’s just about having a specific game plan, knowing what your roles are and the key parts of the game to play. Concentration is important, against the best teams they pray for those moments when you disconnect or make a mistake.”
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