Denmark take on China in the second game in Group D of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
With this group containing England and Haiti, both of these teams know that a win would go a long way to securing them a place in the round of 16.
Perhaps surprisingly considering some of the talented players they have at their disposal, this will be Denmark’s first World Cup since 2007.
Hosted in China, the Danes didn’t make it out of the group stages, but they will certainly harbour hopes of getting out of their group this time round.
Their form heading into this tournament is possibly one of the best out of every team who are part of the World Cup.
Out of the six games they have played in 2023, they’ve won four and lost two.
Those defeats have come against top teams in France and Spain, but with wins against Sweden, Norway, and Japan, it certainly gives Lars Søndergaard and his side a big boost.
Going into this ranked 13th in the world, they do have the credentials to spring a few upsets, but getting one over England might be a tricky task.
Ranked one place below Denmark in the FIFA Rankings is China.
The Steel Roses only failed to make the World Cup once, and that was back in 2011. Their best finish was a runners-up spot in 1999, as they lost to the USA on penalties.
While the Danes are heading down under in a good run of form, the same cannot be said for the Chinese.
In their last ten games they’ve recorded only two victories, both against Russia.
There have been respectable draws against Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland, but defeats to the likes of Sweden, Spain and Brazil show that this is still a team that has a long way to go to challenge England and possibly Denmark.
These two sides have met twelve times in the past, and China currently have the edge when it comes to the head-to-head record by winning seven. In contrast, Denmark have won three and there’s been two draws.
The last match between these two came in the 2019 Algarve Cup, with Denmark coming out on top 1-0. A penalty from Pernille Harder was enough to secure the win for the Danes.
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Team News
Denmark are without a few players in this World Cup due to injury.
Striker Stine Larsen is out after tearing her ACL, while midfielder Sofie Junge has also been ruled out with injury.
Apart from those two, this is a Danish side who have a good mix of young and experienced players.
You can certainly expect an attacking display from the Red and White.
China head into this tournament with no new injury concerns.
This is a team that does have experienced players, but in the goalkeeping area, not one of the three keepers selected has more than ten caps, and that may concern China fans.
Up front however, there will be players who have big tournament pedigree who can pounce on any Danish error.
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Predicted Line-up
Christensen; Sevecke, Ballisager, Boye, Veje; Hasbo, Holmgaard, Kuhl; Brunn, Harder, Thomsen. (4-3-3)
Huan; Mengwen, Jiaxing, Wei, Haiyan; Shuang, Rui, Yasha, Linyan; Shanshan, Jiahui. (4-4-2)
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Key Players
Denmark – Pernille Harder
In major tournaments, you need your X-Factor players to turn up and thrive on the big stage, and there is no bigger player in this Denmark squad than Harder.
She came back from a long-term injury towards the end of the season, and we saw just what she could do for Chelsea in the WSL run in.
Particularly in the FA Cup Final, she came on and instantly changed the game in Chelsea’s favour.
If she can do the same for Denmark, then this is one dangerous team to play against.
China – Zhang Linyan
Linyan made the move to Swiss club Grasshoppers last summer, and after a good season there, she will be looking to take her form into the World Cup.
Coming in off the left, she will likely be up against an experienced full back in Everton’s Rikke Sevecke. But now having spent a season in Europe, it will be interesting to see her take her form into Saturday’s game.
She will be able to provide perfect deliveries into the likes of Wang Shanshan and Lou Jiahui.
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Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The game is being played at Perth’s Rectangular Stadium, also known as HBF Park.
What time is kick off?
The game kicks off at 13:00 BST.
How can I watch?
For UK viewers, the game will be available to watch on BBC Two and on the iPlayer.
