Xhemaili adorns SFV posters: faux pas down under

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Walti for comeback

Two months after her ankle injury, Nati captain Lia Wälti (30) will make her comeback against the Philippines on Friday. “I feel fit and happy to be here and relatively pain-free,” said Wälti two days before the kick-off of the World Cup. The midfielder does not take painkillers, but the ankle is stabilized with tape during every training. According to her, the lack of competition training is not a problem: “I have the experience that I can quickly fit into the team.”

Calligaris faces forfeiture

Things look less good for Viola Calligaris (27). The defender is in danger of not being able to start the match, because she was also unable to train with the entire team on Wednesday. “We look from day to day,” said the future PSG player. Calligaris is still plagued by muscle problems as a result of the friendly match against Zambia (3-3) almost three weeks ago. However, she declined to go into details about the injury.

Xhemaili’s likeness

As is known, Inka Grings did it without Riola Xhemaili (20), who is currently preparing for the new Bundesliga season in Wolfsburg, at the World Cup. The midfielder is still present at the World Cup. Two SFV posters greet visitors in front of the Distinction Hotel in central Dunedin, where the Nati stars will be staying during the qualifying round. The most striking portrait? That of Riola Xhemaili.

Tension rises

According to hotel manager Andrew Duncan, the national team and players are welcome and very pleasant guests. Duncan is particularly impressed with Chef Emil Bolli. “He’s fantastic, a superstar. And he works hard.” The players have to take into account that the start of the World Cup is getting closer and the tension is increasing. “Some feel the pressure, others are excited.”

Many injured

Several stars have to do without the World Cup due to injuries. The US is especially affected and has to do without captain Becky Sauerbrunn (38), Christen Press (34), Catarina Macario (23) and Mallory Swanson (25). European champion England is also missing three important players in Leah Williamson (26), Fran Kirby (30) and Beth Mead (28). France also lacks an illustrious trio in Amandine Henry (33, Wade), Marie-Antoinette Katoto (24, cruciate ligament rupture) and Delphine Cascarino (26, France). Other teams such as the Netherlands (Vivianne Miedema, 27), Canada (Janine Beckie, 28) and host New Zealand (Katie Rood, 30) complain of serious absences.

Referees explain VAR decision

In Australia and New Zealand, FIFA is coming up with something new. After intervention by the Video Umpire and consulting the video footage at the edge of the field, the Umpires will explain their decision to the fans and TV viewers in a brief statement via microphone in the stadium, analogous to the NFL in American football. In addition, the referees must deal with extra time in the same way as at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. There, the average added time per game was eleven minutes. From Switzerland, Esther Staubli (43) will be present as referee and Susanne Küng (35) as assistant.

USA favorite with the bookies

Title favorite number 1 is the USA. New Zealand betting provider TAB offers odds of 3.5 if the record world champion takes the title hat-trick. The Americans’ first challengers are European champions England (5 odd), Spain (6) and Germany (7.5). If the national team won the World Cup, the winnings would be 251 times the stake. According to the betting provider, Costa Rica, Morocco, Panama and Vietnam (odds 1001) have the lowest odds of winning the title.

Source : Blick