Preview: France vs Germany
France vs
Germany
In a thrilling clash that promises to electrify the Allianz Arena, football giants France and Germany face off on June 15th in a highly anticipated UEFA Euro 2020 Group F matchup, as both teams unleash their wealth of talent in a bid to assert dominance in the tournament's so-called "Group of Death."
France
The Blues remain unbeaten in six games across all international competitions: WDWWWW. They will be making their first Euro 2020 appearance following a 3-0 victory over Bulgaria. Prior to that, they secured another emphatic 3-0 win over Wales in a friendly match on June 2nd.
World Cup-winning coach Didier Deschamps aims to get the Blues off to a flying start against Germany on Tuesday. His 26-man squad includes Champions League winner Ngolo Kante from Chelsea, Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, and Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot.
French FA Cup-winning duo from PSG, Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe, are also on the roster. Madrid forward Karim Benzema and Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud, who scored twice against Bulgaria, will be key options in attack.
In goal, Deschamps can choose between Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris and AC Milan’s new signing Mike Maignan. With such a star-studded squad, France shouldn’t face much difficulty in qualifying from Group F, which includes Hungary and Portugal.
An attacking 4-3-1-2 formation featuring Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe as the striking duo is anticipated for Tuesday's match.
Germany
Germany has lost twice in their last six games across all competitions, but they will be entering this fixture on the back of a win: LWWLDW. The Nationalelf secured an impressive 7-1 victory over Latvia on June 7th during an international friendly, leaving Joachim Low’s team psychologically prepared for this clash between two titans.
This encounter could easily be dubbed the most challenging fixture of Match Day 1. Joachim Low will be stepping down at the end of this tournament, following a decade and a half at the helm of Germany, which included lifting the FIFA World Cup in 2014.
For this match, Low will have Bundesliga title winner Manuel Neuer, alongside Champions League-winning duo Chelsea’s Antonio Rüdiger and Kai Havertz, available for selection. Manchester City's İlkay Gündoğan and Real Madrid's Toni Kroos are also on the squad list, joined by Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich, Thomas Müller, Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry, and Leon Goretzka.
Low will be handing over to his former assistant, Hansi Flick, who recently led Bayern Munich to their 30th Bundesliga title. An attacking 3-4-3 formation with plenty of options upfront is expected from the 61-year-old coach.
