England take on Germany in the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 in London on Tuesday 29 June at 18:00 CET.
England vs Germany: live build-up
What’s the story?
The latest chapter in one of international football’s great rivalries takes place at Wembley Stadium – just as it did 25 years ago when Gareth Southgate’s saved spot kick helped Germany squeeze past England on penalties at EURO ’96.
An equally tight affair may again be likely given that England’s group games produced just two goals, a stalemate with Scotland sandwiched between 1-0 wins against Croatia and the Czech Republic.
Germany have been less predictable. The 1-0 defeat against France and 2-2 draw with Hungary will not be viewed with fondness but, in between, they produced a scintillating display to down Portugal 4-2. History suggests they bring their A game when faced with the Three Lions.
Where to watch the game on TV
Fans can find their local UEFA EURO 2020 broadcast partner(s) here.
Predicted line-ups
England: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Phillips; Foden, Mount, Sterling; Kane
Misses next match if booked: Foden
Germany: Neuer; Ginter, Hummels, Rüdiger; Kimmich, Goretzka, Kroos, Gosens; Havertz, Müller, Gnabry
Misses next match if booked: Ginter, Gündoğan, Havertz, Kimmich, Sané
Reporters’ views
Simon Hart, England reporter: England’s history in final tournament knockout matches against Germany – no wins since 1966 – is well documented. So too Gareth Southgate’s own personal history, with that EURO ’96 semi-final penalty heartache. Yet sit down with any of the young players in Southgate’s squad and it fast becomes apparent that this history means nothing to them, raising the hope they can go out and play without fear. Factor in their defensive solidity and recent Wembley record (13 wins from last 15) and there really is reason to believe.
Philip Röber, Germany reporter: The general feeling is that Leon Goretzka can add something to the team which was missing against Hungary, but Joachim Löw is not known for changing his starting XI to suit public opinion. I expect Germany will take a more risk-averse approach than in their group stage matches, mindful of England’s pace up front. They may switch to a back four. Oh yes, and they have also been practising penalties during training in recent days.
Why England-Germany is a one-sided rivalry
View from the camps
Gareth Southgate, England manager: “They’ve been in an incredibly tough qualifying group, and the quality of the matches and the standard of the opponents has been really high so that will have prepared them for big matches straight away. They also have huge big match experience so they are a very accomplished team. It’s a really, really tough game for us.”
Phil Foden, England midfielder: “I’m hoping, come the Germany game, we can just express ourselves. With the attackers we’ve got, we can really hurt them, so hopefully we turn up. We’re as good as anyone on our day. Obviously, I wasn’t born when all of this rivalry was going on. We’re a new team now and we want to create our own history. You can’t think too much about what’s happened in the past. We’re just going to focus on the game and create our own future.”
Joachim Löw, Germany coach: “It’s all or nothing from here on in. We have been erratic, but we know that we can be strong if we manage to get a few things right on the pitch. If we don’t, it gets tricky for us. It’s going to be a completely different type of match against England and we should benefit from that. England are at home and they will have to attack. It will be more open than against Hungary, but we must absolutely be on our toes.”
Thomas Müller, Germany forward: “I think that both teams have enough confidence to say: ‘It is our turn today. We will win and reach the next round.’ That’s what makes this so interesting. The decisive aspect will be to avoid conceding. We’ve not managed to keep a clean sheet enough in the recent past. We can only be successful if we function as a unit. We don’t have individuals who outshine everyone else in the world of football. But we have a lot of players who understand that they can make an important contribution to the collective.”
Form guide (most recent first)
England: WDWWWW
Germany: DWLWDL
