Both Germany and England have their own rivalries, but there is no doubt that the rivalry between the two nations in terms of football, is one of the fiercest in international football.
Sure, England may have a bit of needle with the likes of Scotland, France, Portugal and Argentina, but ask any England fan who are counted as their most difficult rivals and the name of Germany will always crop up.
Germans perhaps don’t feel quite the same way, with the Netherlands likely to be their most fierce rivals along with Italy, but England games always rise the passion of German fans too and this is only part of what makes Tuesday night’s Nations League clash between the two so intriguing.
Another key element is the situation within their Nations League group, which also features Italy and Hungary.
In this article, we are going to preview the game and give you some of our top tips for the match, with the odds provided by bet365 Sport.
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Nations League: League A Group 3
Matchday 1 Results
- Hungary 1-0 England
England’s hopes of getting off to a strong start in their Nations League campaign floundered on the back of a very tired and poor performance by the team in Budapest as a very average Hungarian team did enough to earn a narrow and perhaps fortunate 1-0 win.
The only goal of the game came from a contentious penalty when Reece James had a clumsy coming together with Zsolt Nagy in the England box. The contact was minimal but Nagy went down in hope and the referee pointed to the spot, with VAR choosing not to overrule the official.
Dominik Szoboszlai, the Hungarian team’s most creative and talented player, despatched the spot kick past Jordan Pickford to put Hungary in the lead and despite huffing and puffing, England failed to create much against Hungary, with the home side having the better chances in the game.
In a group that also contains Italy and Germany, this was a chastening blow for England ahead of a crucial six months and it is clear they need to regroup ahead of the game on Tuesday night.
- Italy 1-1 Germany
Germany enjoyed more of the possession and had more shots on goal than their Italian hosts but both sides emerged from the game with a point after two second half goals within three minutes of each other.
A new look Italian squad that featured a number of new faces after their team failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup Finals and they did well to hold the Germans in what was a scoreless first half.
Germany were always on top in the game but substitute for Italy Wilfried Gnonto made a big impression when he came on, with his run and cross allowing Lorenzo Pellegrini to slot home.
However, the inexperienced side could not hang on to that lead as just three minutes later Hoffman’s cross fell into the path of Kimmich who slotted the ball home.
On balance, it was a fair result even despite Germany dominating possession but there is no doubt that Hansi Flick will have wanted more from his team.
Germany v England Fact File
- Venue – Allianz Arena, Munich
- Kick Off – 7.45pm
- Referee – Carlos Del Cerro Grande (Spain)
Historical Record of Germany v England
- Played – 33 (includes games against West Germany)
- Germany Wins – 15
- England Wins – 14
- Draws – 4
- Biggest Germany Win – 4-1 (2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa)
- Biggest England Win – 5-1 (2002 World Cup Qualifier in Germany)
- Highest Scoring Game – Germany 3-6 England (May 1938)
Squads
Germany – Hansi Flick (Manager)
- Goalkeepers – Manuel Neuer, Kevin Trapp, Frank Baumann
- Defenders – Antonio Rudiger, Jonathan Tah, Timo Kehrer, Nikolas Sule, Bernd Klostermann, Benjamin Henrichs, Nico Scholtterback
- Midfielders – David Raum, Joshua Kimmich, Kai Havertz, Leon Goretzka, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan, Julian Brandt, Jonas Hoffman
- Attackers – Timo Werner, Serge Gnabry, Lucas Nmecha, Thomas Muller
England – Gareth Southgate (Manager)
- Goalkeepers – Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale
- Defenders – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, Kieran Trippier, Reece James, Kyle Walker, Marc Guehi, James Justin, Conor Coady, John Stones, Fikayo Tomori
- Midfielders – Conor Gallagher, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips, James Ward-Prowse, Mason Mount
- Attackers – Raheem Sterling, Jarrod Bowen, Harry Kane, Tammy Abraham
Team News
Reports from Germany suggest that Chelsea duo Kai Havertz and Timo Werner will come into the German side, as will their former defender Antonio Rudiger, who has now signed for Real Madrid.
Another familiar face to English fans Ilkay Gundogan is also expected to start in midfield as Germany shuffle their pack a little following their 1-1 draw with Italy.
England will be without a trio of players for sure for this game. Phil Foden hasn’t travelled to Germany after being diagnosed with Covid-19 last week, while James Justin picked up an injury against Hungary on his debut and will miss out, as will Fikayo Tomori with a slight injury he picked up playing for Milan.
However, Marc Guehi should be fit enough for selection although he is likely to start from the bench.
Predicted Teams
Germany (4-2-3-1) – Neuer, Raum, Sule, Rudiger, Kehrer, Kimmich, Gundogan, Gnabry, Havertz, Sane, Werner
England (3-4-3) – Pickford, Walker, Maguire, Stones, James, Phillips, Rice, Trippier, Grealish, Kane, Sterling.
What Are Our Key Betting Tips And Predictions For The Game?
With Italy hosting Hungary in the other game on the night, both these teams will know that a defeat here could extinguish any realistic hope of winning the group, so I think both teams will feel that avoiding defeat is key here.
Somewhat unusually, the away team has tended to have the better of this game in recent years, but the last two games have gone the way of the home team and I think Germany are deserving of being the 6/5 favourites to land the win.
England are 5/2 to win in Germany again, while the draw, which will certainly have plenty of backers, is an 11/5 shot.
My gut feeling here is that this one will end up in a score draw, most likely a 1-1 score draw, so I’d back the draw at 11/5, or the draw and both teams to score, which is a better value 10/3 option.
A 1-1 draw is 5/1 in the correct score market and for an anytime goalscorer in the game, I’d back Serge Gnabry at 13/5 to score anytime for Germany and Harry Kane at 12/5 to do the same for England.
