Germany and France clash in the Women's World Cup 2015 quarter finals on Friday, in what is clearly the tie of the round. Germany, ranked No. 1 in the world, and France, ranked No. 3, are being forced to face off earlier in the competition than either may have wanted, and for one of these top teams, they will be sent home by the end of the day. The game has a scheduled start time of 4 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the Fox network, or online through live stream via the link below.
Germany will be slight favorites coming into today's game, but if France play to their potential then they should pose many questions of this German team that has held top spot in the FIFA World Rankings for a long time.
Most pundits put these two teams as the best in the world at the moment. Reigning World Cup champs Japan may have something to say about that, as will No. 2 ranked USA, however, neither have shown quite the intensity and form as Germany and France have at various points leading up to and so far within this World Cup.
Germany will be lacking no motivation to go all the way and win the World Cup this time around even though they have previously won the title numerous times before. In the 2011 World Cup they were shocked at falling short on home turf, and had to watch Japan lift the cup. They will want to steal back the title this time around and know they cannot afford any slip ups like last time.
The German team are not lacking any punch up front this time around, with Anja Mittag and Celia Sasic both already on five goals each so far in the tournament.
To reach this game, Germany have demolished the Ivory Coast 10-0, drawn with Norway 1-1, destroyed Thailand 4-0, before easing to a 4-1 victory over Sweden in the Round of 16.
As well as Mittag and Sasic, Germany also has great talent in Dzsenifer Marozsan, who at 23 is one of the most exciting prospects in the women's game. In addition, there defense has proven rock solid in large part thanks to 29-year-old Annika Krahn.
Meanwhile, France had a widely noted hiccup in their group stages, losing 0-2 to Ecuador. However, apart from that they have been in excellent form, defeating a strong England team 1-0, and overwhelming Mexico 5-0. In the Round of 16 they were far too strong for South Korea, and will feel they are hitting top form at the right time, and will hope they can continue to get better with each game.
France goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi sounded confident coming into the game. She said, "We don't have an inferiority complex when it comes to the Germans. To be completely honest, I actually think we're a bit better."
Today's massive Women's World Cup 2015 quarter final game between Germany and France has a start time of 4 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the Fox network or online through live stream by clicking here.
