Lionesses vs Denmark: Chelsea reunion as Millie Bright and Pernille Harder set for Women’s World Cup showdown | OneFootball

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fter four months out with a knee injury, Millie Bright's overriding emotion following England's World Cup opener against Haiti will have been one of relief.

The centre-back said afterwards she had done "absolutely everything" to be fit in time and the fact she completed 90 minutes unscathed is a huge boost to the Lionesses.

There was, unsurprisingly, plenty of rust about Bright's performance in the 1-0 win over Haiti and England will hope her match sharpness increases as her minutes do too.

Friday's game against Denmark promises to be a tougher examination for Bright and a true test of how fit she is as the centre-back prepares to go head to head with Pernille Harder.

The pair know each other well having spent the past three seasons together at Chelsea, with Harder only just leaving this summer to join Bayern Munich.

Emma Hayes has described the Denmark captain as "one of the best attacking players in the world" and Bright previously said defending against her, Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr in training can be a "nightmare".

Harder leads the line, but she does not play as a typical No9, preferring to instead drop off and bring others into play.

The 30-year-old is technically excellent and happy to receive the ball in her own half before driving forward with it. Her timing in the box is exceptional and she often arrives in the right place at the right time to finish off a move she started.

For Bright, it presents the possibility of her bringing dragged around the pitch to different areas throughout the course of Friday's game in Sydney. That is something any centre-back would not enjoy, let alone one who has just returned from four months out.

Harder had her own fitness problems last season. She injured her hamstring in November and was forced to undergo surgery on it.

The striker returned for Chelsea in April and came off the bench in the FA Cup final a month later, setting up Kerr to score the game's only goal.

It secured the latest honour for Harder during a glittering playing career in which she has won four Frauen-Bundesligas, three Women's Super Leagues and two FA Cups. She was also second in the inaugural Ballon d'Or Feminin in 2018, missing out to Ada Hegerberg by just six voting points.

This, however, is her first ever World Cup and she is determined to make her mark on the biggest stage of all.

"This tournament deserves players like Pernille Harder," says Denmark head coach Lars Sondergaard. "It's important for her, for her ambitions, that we have qualified so that she can be on the big stage.

"She has wished for the team, for the nation, and women's football in Denmark that we could go far and qualify."

Harder has captained Denmark since 2016 and, with a squad that blooded plenty of youngsters at Euro 2022, her leadership role has become even more important.