Germany's Behringer wary of Italy

Germany midfielder Melanie Behringer told uefa.com that the holders must not underestimate Italy when the two sides meet in the UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ quarter-finals on Friday in Lahti.

German run
Behringer, who plays on the right of Germany's attacking midfield three, is understandably full of confidence after Silvia Neid's side took a maximum nine points from the group stage, scoring ten goals as they continue a bid for a fifth straight title. She declared: "If we play our own game it will be very difficult for them to beat us, but we shouldn't underestimate any team. They beat England and Russia, we know they have a strong side."

Caution
Indeed Behringer believes Germany will need to be patient against Pietro Ghedin's charges, who are hoping for an upset that would take them through to the semi-finals for the first time since 1997 when they went on to reach the final. "All the teams here have improved their defensive game and I think Italy will play extremely defensively," Behringer said. "It will take some time to break through, but I am sure we will manage to score."

Facing club-mate
For the FC Bayern München player, the game will have an even more special significance, as Italy are likely to field her club-mate Carolina Pini. "We talked about the tournament a few weeks ago but she was still in doubt then, not knowing whether she would make the squad. We haven't had any contact here in Lahti yet," Behringer said.

Clinical finish
Being among the substitutes in the last group game against Iceland to avoid a second yellow card, Behringer is really looking forward to Friday's knockout contest, particularly as her last outing – in the 5-1 defeat of France – was more than a week ago. Despite the scoreline against Les Bleues, she is hoping for an improvement in terms of her personal performance, saying: "I have to be more clinical in front of goal and I have to improve my passing game."

Scoring options
As for the team in general, Behringer points to several reasons why Germany are the team to beat in Finland. "We are mentally much fresher than we were a year ago at the Olympics [where Germany won bronze], we are in good shape and we have more fun playing football again. Furthermore, we have different types of players who bring their special strengths to the game. I don't see any other team which has seven different players who can score."