Preview: England vs Germany
In a classic clash at Wembley, England's resolute defense faces Germany's attacking prowess in a UEFA Euro 2020 Round of 16 showdown, as both teams vie for a spot in the quarterfinals.
England
Once again, England picked up a slim victory on Match Day 3. The Three Lions defeated Czech Republic 1-0, finishing at the top of Group D with 7 points after 2 wins, 1 draw, and no losses.
Manchester City's £100 million bid target, Aston Villa's Jack Grealish, provided an assist by delivering an inch-perfect cross to Raheem Sterling in the 12th minute. This was Raheem Sterling's second goal of the tournament, doubling England's total goal count at Euro 2020.
Considering this tally, defeating Germany appears to be a tall order, given their adversary's six goals at the end of the group stage. Making up for what they lack in attack, the English defense kept a clean sheet throughout the group stage despite several changes and being without Harry Maguire until Match Day 3.
Phil Foden, after being switched around on both sides of the field, was dropped from Gareth Southgate's lineup in the 4-2-3-1 formation seen on Match Day 3. We can expect this prominent formation once again on Tuesday, with Harry Kane leading the attack.
The English captain has been far from his best, although his performance on Match Day 3 was better than his displays in the first two matches combined. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has made two late off-the-bench appearances so far in this tournament and could do so once again on Tuesday.
England returns unbeaten in six games across all competitions: WWWWDW.
Germany
Meanwhile, Germany completed a comeback against Hungary on Match Day 3 and finished second in Group F with 4 points and a goal difference of +1, after 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Adam Szalai (11') putting Hungary ahead early. Chelsea's Kai Havertz (66') scored in the second half to level the score at 1-1.
Just two minutes later, András Schäfer (68') restored Hungary's lead. However, Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka (84') scored near the end to equalize once more, keeping Germany in contention for a second-place finish ahead of Portugal, despite both countries being tied on goal difference and points.
Joachim Low faces increasing pressure to drop Leroy Sane from the starting lineup after the Bayern Munich forward's questionable performances. Sane has struggled to replicate the form that helped Bayern secure their 30th Bundesliga title in the recently concluded season.
Serge Gnabry is expected to lead the attack again on Tuesday when Low opts for his favored 3-4-2-1 formation. Germany enters the match with a recent form that reads: L-D-W-L-W-D.
Team form
Showing the latest five games—giving you a quick look at recent performance trends. Teams in good form tend to do well in the next match.
Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.