World champions France take on three-time winners Germany in one of the most anticipated matches in the Euro 2020 group stage. Joachim Low’s men, winless in their last five meetings against France, will be keen to bounce back after the first-round exit in the 2018 World Cup. Meanwhile, Les Bleus are favorites to win the trophy and would be eyeing three points at Allianz Arena.
From full-back Benjamin Pavard to Kylian Mbappe, France has plenty of attacking-minded players in their squad. Real Madrid talisman Karim Benzema, who scored 23 goals for Real Madrid in La Liga this season, will be playing in his first major tournament since the 2014 World Cup. He will link up with Antoine Griezmann – the Euro 2016 top scorer – and 22-year-old Mbappe. UEFA Champions League winner N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba will pull strings from midfield.
Germany has a good mix of experienced and young players in Euro 2020. Mats Hummels will lead the backline, and he will have Antonio Rudiger, who played a pivotal role in Chelsea’s Champions League triumph, and Matthias Ginter alongside him. The versatile Joshua Kimmich is likely to play as a wing-back, while striker Serge Gnabry scored a goal in five of the seven Euro 2020 qualifier games.
Recent Form (last five matches)
FRA: W (3-0 vs Bulgaria), W (3-0 vs Wales), W (0-1 vs Bosnia and Herzegovina), W (0-2 vs Kazakhstan), D (1-1 vs Ukraine)
GER: W (7-1 vs Latvia), D (1-1 vs Denmark), L (1-2 vs North Macedonia), W (0-1 vs Romania) W (3-0 vs Iceland)
Head-to-Head
Played: 31
FRA won: 14
GER won: 10
Drawn: 7
Stats & Facts
- A Griezmann (FOR) struck twice in the last meeting both France and Germany
- I Gundogan (MID) scored three goals in his last four matches for Germany
- K Havertz (FOR) has three assists in his last three appearances for Germany
- Despite making 11 appearances, T Muller (MID) is yet to score a goal at Euros
- B Pavard (DEF) grabbed an assist in France’s 3-0 win over Bulgaria
Injuries/Suspensions
FRA: K Zouma (injured)
GER: L Goretzka (injured), J Hofmann (injured)
Playing 11
FRA (possible): H Lloris; B Pavard, R Varane, P Kimpembe, L Hernandez; N Kante, P Pogba, A Rabiot, A Griezmann; K Benzema, K Mbappe
GER (possible): M Neuer; M Ginter, M Hummels, A Rudiger; J Kimmich, I Gundogan, T Kroos, R Gosens; K Havertz, T Muller, S Gnabry
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Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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