Today the match against France is on the program for the German national ice hockey team. The puck will be thrown in for the first time at 19:20 p.m. CEST, which of course also means 20:20 p.m. local time. The game will be broadcast live on SPORT1 & MagentaSport.
"France is a very good team that can cause surprises. We shouldn't take them lightly," said German striker Marc Michaelis before the match. Captain Moritz Müller sees it similarly and said today after the morning training: "We have to be ready from the start, to carry the momentum from the last game. All of these nations are very difficult to play against, very difficult to beat. France is a strong team with good strikers, so we have to put them under pressure from the start." Games against the Equipe Tricolore are something special for the man who lived in France for three years as a child.
The French are at the World Cup as runners-up. After relegation in 2019, there was no chance for them to qualify for the top group again at a Division I World Cup. Back in 2019, the German team beat their neighboring country 4-1 with goals from Moritz Seider, Leon Draisaitl, Korbinian Holzer and today's birthday boy Matthias Plachta.
The French are currently in 6th place in Group A with three points, directly behind the German team. The Blue-White-Reds lost 2-4 against Slovakia, but then had a hotly contested but deserved 2-1 win against Kazakhstan yesterday afternoon.
The best scorer for the French is currently Alexandre Texier with one goal and one assist. As the only NHL star in the squad, the 22-year-old is also the best-known French ice hockey player at the World Cup. Or maybe his trainer will beat him. Former Mannheimer Philipp Bozon is head coach of the French. Beyond Texier, the French team is a colorful mix of players from the Swiss, Finnish and Czech leagues, as well as of course the French. The only PENNY DEL player is Anthony Rech from Wolfsburg.
More information about the Ice Hockey World Cup: IIHF – Schedule and Results 2022 IIHF ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP