Women’s World Cup Group H Preview: Popp’s German Machine vs Chebbak’s Rising Morocco

• Group H will feature a group of teams who all lost their continental finals
• Germany lost to England, while Morocco went down to South Africa on home soil in WAFCON
• South Korea lost the AFC Women's Asian Cup, while Colombia lost to Brazil in Copa America

The last group in Australia and New Zealand will see Germany lay the groundwork for yet another stab at the World Cup trophy.

Germany is one of the four teams to have won the World Cup and with their high ranking(they are second after the USA), they will be expected to pull serious weight and have a say on where the trophy will go on August 20.

But before they meet their fellow contenders, they will have to overcome a group that has debutants Morocco, Colombia and South Korea.

Sports Brief has also done previews for Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, Group E, Group F and Group G.

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Germany

Martina Voss-Tecklenburg's side scored 47 goals and conceded only five times in 10 games to qualify for the tournament. The 55-year-old, who was appointed in 2018, was knocked out by Sweden in the quarterfinals in 2019 before reaching the final of Euro 2022 and losing to England.

There is no doubt that the two-time World Champions has the firepower to steer it to glory, with Voss-Tecklenburg's high press often stifling air out of opponents.

She will have a couple of Wolfsburg players to lead the team but none greater than her captain - Alexandra Popp. Popp embodies the true German spirit of not fearing whatever obstacle is thrown at them.

The 32-year-old scored in almost every round of the Euro 2022 Championships only to agonizingly miss the final through injury. Die Nationalelf will be banking on her fitness this time around with her teammate Lena Oberdorf, an exciting prospect as well.

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Watch out for Popp's aerial threat and ability to creep into small spaces behind the defence.

Player(s) to watch; Alexandra Popp, Lena Oberdorf.

Colombia

Colombia managed to host a successful Copa America Femenina, where they excelled and reached the final. They lost the final to a gallant Brazil, but the first objective- that of qualifying for the World Cup for the third time in their history.

The hard work, however, begins on July 25 when they face the Korean Republic before facing Germany and Morocco in the subsequent days.

Head Coach Nelson Abadia led the team to win the Pan American games in 2019 and was kept on despite missing out on the World Cup.

Real Madrid forward Linda Caicedo will be Abadia's most trusted weapon, with the 18-year-old already showing maturity beyond her age. Besides her, she will play with Leicy Santos and veteran Catalina Usme, whose leadership skills in the group and technical prowess is invaluable.

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But for all their star players, Abadia will have to resolve the poor decision-making skills that has often affected his team in front of goal as they seek to get past the round of 16 for the first time.

Player(s) to watch; Linda Caicedo, Leicy Santos, Catalina Usme

Morocco

Before Morocco plays Germany on July 24, no other women's Arab nation has ever played in the World Cup. The rising African giants will make history as they seek to pull off an upset against the well-oiled German machine.

Football in the North African country seems to be following a clear trajectory of government goodwill. Their men's counterparts reached the semifinals of Qatar 2022, the first African country to do, just a few months after the Women's team had reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Morocco might be debutants, but they are stacked up with good talent and an even better coach in Reynald Pedros. Pedros is a two-time Women's Champions League winner with Lyon before he joined Morocco in 2020.

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The French manager has revolutionised football in the country with talented skipper Ghizziane Chebbak leading the charges. She will be aided by Rosella Ayane, who plies her trade for Women's Super League side Tottenham Hotspur.

Their build-up to the tournament hasn't been promising, with only two wins in 11 games, conceding 18 goals in the progress - a concern Pedros will need to address soon enough.

Player(s) to watch; Ghizziane Chebbak, Nesryne El Chad, Rosella Ayane

South Korea

Speaking of Women's Champions League coaches, South Kore also boast of one in Colin Bell, who led Frankfurt to their 2015 triumph.

Bell led them to the 2022 Asian Women's final, their first appearance in a final of a major competition and thus qualifying for their fourth World Cup.

The Englishman will face the powerhouse that is Germany and two unpredictable sides in Morocco and Colombia, but he has a few stars that can help him deal with the pressure in the Oceanic countries.

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Ji Soyun will head out for what is most likely to be her last World Cup and will bow out as the most successful South Korean female footballer in history thanks to her long spell at Chelsea. Ji will shoulder the burden of creating and even scoring goals for her nation but could get help from Lee Geum-min and Chun Garam.

They have had mixed results in their preparations, beating debutants Zambia and Haiti before losing to Belgium and Italy in the Arnold Clark's Cup.

Player(s) to watch; Ji Soyun, Chun Garam