The Albany Gazette - Germany eye revenge in Nations League showdown with Spain

Germany play host to the reigning world champions in Friday's first leg in Kaiserslautern, with the return match in Madrid on December 2.

Aitana Bonmati's 113rd-minute strike in Zurich in July sent the Germans packing and robbed them of a chance to avenge their 2-1 extra-time Euro 2022 defeat by eventual winners England.

Four months on, revenge is again in the air for Christian Wueck's side, along with a chance to see how they stack up against the world's best.

Manchester City midfielder Rebecca Knaak was on the pitch in July and said the Germans would use the disappointment of the defeat as motivation.

"We definitely want to show we can beat Spain. The defeat still hurts," Knaak said on Tuesday.

"We've learned our lessons from our last encounter and we know what we need to work on. There's definitely a score to settle and now we have a chance to do better across two games."

The most successful European team in women's football history, Germany have lost their advantage in recent years as other nations drastically improved.

Eight-time European champions and twice World Cup winners, Germany's last major honour came a decade ago, with a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

- Missing players -

Wueck took over after the 2024 Olympics and has steadied the ship despite retirements and a wave of injuries.

Long-time striker Alexandra Popp and goalkeeper Merle Frohms stepped down from international duty last year, while stars Giulia Gwinn, Lena Oberdorf and Sarai Linder have all missed out with serious injuries.

Oberdorf will be out for several months after tearing her ACL again in October, but Gwinn is back from a ligament strain and will captain the side against Spain.

Germany welcomed back goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger on Wednesday. Berger arrived in camp late after winning the NWSL championship with Gotham FC and enjoying the victory parade in New York.

The 52-year-old Wueck avoided talk of revenge but said his team would relish the chance to test themselves against the World Cup holders, calling Spain "the best team in Europe".

"We're incredibly excited for these two games and we're also incredibly excited to be playing Spain, because we know we will not only be challenged, but that it will truly require an absolute top performance just to have a chance," said Wueck.

"But I do believe we have the potential to win these games."

Lyon midfielder Jule Brand agreed, saying a victory would "send a message to other opponents and boost confidence".

Brand said the atmosphere at Kaiserslautern's 47,000-seat Fritz Walter Stadion, which sits high on the Betzenberg hill in the middle of town, could be crucial on Friday.

"Grandma, grandpa, everyone was a Kaiserslautern fan," the 23-year-old said, having attended matches at the historic stadium as a child.

Despite the advantage of playing the second leg -- and potentially extra time and penalties -- at home, Spain promised to attack.

"I'm not playing for a draw," said Spain coach Sonia Bermudez. "I would like to win it there, with hopefully lots of goals.

"Germany are a fantastic team. We have the utmost respect for them and we are all very aware that what lies ahead will be difficult."

(E.Taylor--TAG)