Amber Tysiak is relishing the opportunity to be back in the national team setup with Belgium.
The central defender is back on duty for the first time since June and has the chance to help her country qualify for the UEFA Women’s Nations League finals if they can top Group A1.
Belgium have made a strong start to a very tough group, which includes neighbours the Netherlands, current European champions England, as well as Lisa Evans’ Scotland.
The 23-year-old has played more than 20 times for her country and is excited to be back involved and is looking forward to the tough matches against Scotland and the Netherlands this week.
“I’m really looking forward to the games. It’s always an honour to play for your country. I haven’t been able to be on a lot of the camps this year, so I’m really looking forward to being back.
“We have two really important matches because we want to try and win our Nations League group. I don’t anyone was looking at Belgium being the team that would top this group because we have England, the Netherlands and Scotland in with us.
“It’s a difficult group, but the team have done really well in the games so far, and hopefully we can get it over the line and come out on top.”
Tysiak and Evans are likely to meet on the field on Friday at King Power at Den Dreef Stadion in Heverlee, the home of the defender’s former club, Oud-Heverlee [OH] Leuven.
It will be a special match for the defender in many ways, if she does take to the field.
“It’s going to be great to see my international teammates again, Tysiak explained. “It’s been nice to have had some time back here at West Ham during the previous international breaks, but I’m looking forward to being back with my country.
“We’re playing both the games in Belgium too, one of them it at the stadium of my old team, so it will be nice to go back there. My family will be coming to the game as well, so that will be really nice.”
Belgium is currently ranked 18th in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings, one place off their highest ever position, which they achieved in 2020. Having beaten England and the Netherlands in this inaugural Nations League campaign, things are looking good for the Red Flames to potentially go one step further.
Including Tysiak, there are five members of their current squad who play their football in the WSL, and she is hoping to see that number grow as time goes on.
“I’ve noticed more of our players are coming over to the WSL. I think it’s good for us as a country to have players here, it’s one of the most competitive leagues in the world, so it can only be a good thing for more players to be here.
“I’m loving my time here with West Ham in the WSL, so I hope more of my teammates will follow suit, because it’s a good thing for us as a country.”
