Euro 2020 is now well underway and we have already had plenty of drama both on the field and off it. Italy got the tournament off to a fine start with a 3-0 win over Turkey on home soil and Finland, Belgiu, England, Austria and the Netherlands all joined them in picking up three points.
In fact, the only game so far that has not seen a winner was the Wales v Switzerland game on Saturday afternoon which saw the points shared thanks to a 1-1 draw.
READ: Get the latest tips for the 2022 UEFA Semi finals
Today, we see the Scottish national team in action in a major finals for the first time since the France 1998 World Cup in the second game in England’s Group D, while later on the four teams in Group E will clash in their opening games as Poland face Slovakia in Saint Petersburg followed by Spain hosting Sweden in Seville.
However it is on Tuesday night that we will see the first of the two real giants of European football collide. Hungary will take on Portugal in the first game in Group F, but it is the second game between France and Germany in Munich that we are going to focus on for this article.
Interest in this game is going to be huge around the world and if you want a bet on the match, either
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So let’s focus on the game in Group F now, which could well have a significant bearing not just on who comes out on top in this group, but who also may well face England in the Round of 16 in the tournament.
Tonight’s game kicks off at 8pm UK time in Munich, which makes it effectively a home game for Germany although by UEFA designation, France have been given the title of home team. Spaniard Carlos del Cerro Grande will be in charge of proceedings as referee in what promises to be one of the best games of the tournament.
Over the years the teams have met in a number of intriguing matches. In a total of 31 games played
between the two, France have the edge with 14 victories, compared to nine for Germany with eight games drawn.
It gets better for France fans when you look at their record in European Championship finals against Germany. In three previous matches, the French have won two, drawing the other. They have scored four goals to Germany’s single goal across those three games.
The teams last met in the Nations League back in 2018, when after a 0-0 draw in Munich, where tonight’s game will be held, France then beat Germany 2-1 in Saint-Denis thanks to two goals from Antoine Griezmann while a Toni Kroos penalty was all Germany could muster in reply.
Germany have enjoyed more success over France in World Cup tournaments, winning against them both in 1986 and 2014, but their most famous victory came back in 1982, when after a 3-3 draw in extra time, Germany prevailed on penalties in a game famous for German goalkeeper’s Harald Schumacher’s dreadful challenge on Patrick Battiston which left the Frenchman with a broken neck and which somehow went unpunished.
Germany won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but four years later it was France who inherited that title after beating Croatia in the final of the tournament in Russia. Add to that the fact that Portugal are the current holders of the European Championship trophy, beating France to the trophy in Paris back in 2016, and it is easy to see why Group F has been christened the Group of Death, despite the fact all three teams could well progress into the next stage of the tournament.
Germany have won the European Championship three times (1970, 1980, 1996), twice as West Germany, with France winning it twice (1984, 2000)
Coming into this game it is France who are in the better form of the two teams. Unbeaten in their last 18
games, France have won 15 of those games, drawing just three.
In contrast, Germany have not had the best tie of it of late. They lost at home 2-1 to North Macedonia in a World Cup Qualifier back in March and were beaten 6-0 by Spain in a Nations League game in November 2020. The Germans have won three, lost two and drawn one of their last six games.
It is also worth noting that the Germans have not beaten France in any of the last five (France winning three, with two drawn games) and they have only won two of the last 13 games between the teams (France having won eight of those games).
The teams met in the semifinals of the 2016 European Championships in Marseille with France coming out as the 2-0 victors on that day.
France boss Didier Deschamps does seem pretty set on what is his best team and the French have enjoyed a very good warm up for the tournament. As such, it would be a surprise if Deschamps deviated from his trusted 4-3-3 formation.
Hugo Lloris should get the nod in goal with Pavard right back, Varane and Kimpembe in the centre but it looks like a choice between Lucas Hernandez and Lucas Digne for the left back slot.
In midfield N’Golo Kante will likely anchor the midfield with Paul Pogba playing a more advanced role alongside Corentin Tolisso or if he is fit, Adrien Rabiot.
The front three is perhaps the most frightening in the Euro 2020 tournament with Antoine Griezmann playing a withdrawn role behind Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe.
Germany’s bothersome recent form has seen manager Joachim Low call up two veteran players in Mats Hummels and Thomas Muller. They slot in to a side that, while packed with talent, has found stringing positive results together somewhat difficult in recent times.
Manuel Neuer will retain the goalkeeper’s jersey, with Hummels likely to come into defence alongside Rudiger and Ginter. Kimmich and Gosens will likely be the wing backs, with Gundogan and Kroos anchoring the midfield. Serge Gnabry will likely start one one flank with Kai Havertz on the other and either Thomas Muller or Timo Werner the main striker.
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