5 reasons Germany will beat England at UEFA Euro 2020
A heavyweight encounter is on the cards on Tuesday when Germany meet England at Wembley in the last 16 of UEFA Euro 2020.
bundesliga.com offers five reasons why Joachim Löw's team can advance to the quarter-finals.
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1) History is on their side
When Germany and England meet in competitive action, it's often a classic. England won the 1966 FIFA World Cup final after extra-time at Wembley, but since then it's usually Germany that have held their nerve when it's really mattered.
Germany lead the head-to-head record 15-13, along with four draws, but in competitive games the 2014 World Cup winners have come out on top a lot more often. The 1966 victory was the only time England have got the upper hand in the World Cup, with Germany winning three of their five other meetings in that competition. England have been victors in only one of four qualifying matches, while the sides share a win apiece at the European Championship.
Recent history, though, is very much in Germany's favour. On their way to winning the 1990 World Cup, they beat England on penalties in the semi-finals in Rome. In the most recent competitive encounter, Löw's side thrashed England 4-1 in the round of 16 at the 2010 edition in South Africa. Manuel Neuer was between the posts that day, and Thomas Müller got the last two goals and took home the Man of the Match award.
Germany's competitive record in London is good too. In October 2000, Dietmar Hamann fired home the only goal in a World Cup qualifier in what was the final game played at the old Wembley stadium. Twenty-five years ago this month, meanwhile, Germany again spoiled the party in the UEFA Euro 1996 semi-finals. An injury-ravaged side showed admirable courage and skill in an epic encounter at Wembley, eventually winning out on penalties before edging the Czech Republic in the final.
2) England might overlook a key player
Anyone who has watched the Bundesliga or the UEFA Champions League can't work out why one of England's prize assets has seen so little game time at Euro 2020. Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho had to wait until England's last group match to make his first appearance, and only got on for six minutes.
Watch: Sancho's top 5 goals!
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"He would be in my team at the best of times, if everybody's fit," former Bayern Munich and Liverpool midfielder Hamann told RTE ahead of their 1-0 win over the Czech Republic in the final group game.
"He has set the Bundesliga alight for the last two seasons. He was brilliant in the league, in the Champions League... if you want to go far in this tournament, at some stage you need Sancho - he's a game changer."
Hamann isn't the only German expert - or fan - who would be relieved if Sancho doesn't start on Tuesday. The Dortmund star has been wowing audiences around Europe since 2017, making a huge statement by getting 17 goals and 16 assists in the 2019/20 Bundesliga season.
Injury prevented the tricky wide man from matching those numbers in 2020/21, but he returned in sensational form in April to save Dortmund's season. The 21-year-old scored twice in a vital victory over RB Leipzig in May, with his side winning their last seven league matches to secure a third-place finish.
Five days after his first star turn against Leipzig, Sancho did it again against the same opposition in the DFB Cup final. He whipped home a wonderful opener before adding Dortmund's third in a 4-1 triumph. That took Sancho's goals tally in black and yellow to 16 in all competitions in 2020/21, and to 50 in 137 appearances for the club.
3) Germany have a key player back
Leon Goretzka is another man whose progress was disrupted by injury. After helping Bayern win a treble in 2019/20, the midfielder missed 14 games for the nine-in-a-row Bundesliga champions in 2020/21.
Germany head coach Löw has had to be patient with the 26-year-old, easing Goretzka back into action with a 17-minute cameo in the 4-2 group-stage success against Portugal.
He improved on that by getting 32 minutes against Hungary and responding in his side's hour of need. Goretzka thumped home an equaliser in the 2-2 draw, a goal that set up the last-16 clash with England.
"I'm really happy," he said after his late heroics in Germany's final group game in Munich. "Watching the game from the bench and seeing how tough it is just makes you want to give more when you come on."
Goretzka is clearly ready to play his part in the latter stages of the tournament. Löw must be thinking that the former Schake player's power and box-to-box style could be very useful at Wembley - maybe even from the start.
4) Kimmich and Gosens can do damage
Two top performers for Germany so far have been Joshua Kimmich and Robin Gosens. Kimmich has shown versatility by switching out of central midfield to play on the right side in a 3-4-3 formation, a system that also clearly benefits Atalanta's Gosens.
Bayern stalwart Kimmich - a potential future World Player of the Year, according to Hansi Flick - has been a constant threat with his pinpoint crosses. He was named UEFA's Star of the Match for the Hungary game, while Gosens took that honour for a barnstorming performance down the left against Portugal. The 26-year-old scored one goal and created two more in that crucial win.
"His performance against Portugal nearly knocked me out of my seat!" former Germany international Steffen Freund - who played in the 1996 game at Wembley - wrote in a column for UEFA. "He brought pace to the game, in defence and in attack. He posed a threat in every move he was involved in."
Watch: Check out Kimmich's Bundesliga mixtape!
England have chopped and changed at full-back until now, and any weakness is likely to be ruthlessly exploited by Germany's in-form wide pair. Löw also has the luxury of calling upon Bayern teenager Jamal Musiala, who made Goretzka's goal with a brilliant impact on the left against Hungary.
5) They know how to win
Another difference between the two teams is that the majority of the German squad have been there and done that. Neuer, Müller, defender Mats Hummels and midfielder Toni Kroos all started the 2014 World Cup final, for example, when Germany kept their cool to beat Argentina after extra-time.
Germany have reached the semi-final or better in five of the six tournaments Löw has been in charge for, while at club level many of the squad are serial champions. Müller has won the Bundesliga a record 10 times in his career, while Neuer has also been with Bayern for each of their nine successive league-title wins. Both men have celebrated winning the UEFA Champions League twice, with their first victory coming at Wembley against Dortmund in 2013. They have also claimed the FIFA Club World Cup trophy twice among a host of other pieces of silverware.
Hummels was with that pair for some of their success in Bavaria, while he also won back-to-back Bundesliga titles under Jürgen Klopp at Dortmund before picking up his third DFB Cup winners' medal last month. Former Bayern midfielder Kroos has won the Champions League four times, while ex-Dortmund player Ilkay Gündogan has clinched three of the last four English Premier League titles with Manchester City.
Like Goretzka, Kimmich, Emre Can, Matthias Ginter and Niklas Süle, Antonio Rüdiger and Timo Werner were part of the German squad that won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. Along with Kai Havertz - who got the only goal in this year's final - Rüdiger and Werner lifted the 2020/21 Champions League with Chelsea.
Wherever you look then, Germany have players who know how to win. That can make all the difference in knockout football.
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