Pernille Harder relishing "special" England clash as former colleagues face off

27 July 2023 , 07:30

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Pernille Harder relishing "special" England clash as former colleagues face off

Denmark's star player Pernille Harder has promised to be tough by name and tough by nature in the game against England.

The 30-year-old striker is hoping to be a thorn in the side of the Lionesses on Friday as Danish coach Lars Søndergaard admitted his team are the "underdogs".

Harder, who played for Chelsea in the Women's Super League last season, said she will be facing some of her old teammates including England captain Millie Bright. She said: "It will be special to play against England also for me to play against some of my teammates from the WSL.

"I have felt Millie in training, she goes 110% into duals, she is a great player she goes 110% into everything she does. It will be difficult but I will do everything I can to make it difficult for her.

The Danish team had flown in from "rainy Perth" on Wednesday evening into a "sunny Sydney" ready for the highly anticipated clash.

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Both England and Denmark are looking to clinch victory and secure a spot in the knock-out stages after both teams scored a 1-0 win in their opening games against Haiti and China respectively.

Søndergaard said his whole squad is fighting fit and excited for the challenge against England, claiming it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

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Pernille Harder knows a number of the England players from her time with Chelsea (Getty Images)

He said: "Sometimes when you enter a match you are underdogs and you need to perform well against a superpower such as England. That’s easier said than done but there’s a world cup every four years, you’re only getting so many of these opportunities in your career, so it would be a mortal sin not to enjoy it."

England and Denmark will meet at 9.30am UK time on Friday. Both teams are protecting 100 per cent records after 1-0 wins in their opening game, with China and Haiti meeting in Group D's other fixture later in the day.

The group winner will take on the runner-up from Group B in the round of 16. This could see England facing a knockout tie against co-hosts Australia, who play their second group game on Thursday.

Jeremy Armstrong