Euro 2016 – Group C Match Preview – Northern Ireland vs Germany

Euro 2016 – Group C Match Preview – Northern Ireland vs Germany

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Both Northern Ireland and Germany still have it all to play for as the two lock horns in their final group C match at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday evening.

After a limp start to the tournament, Northern Ireland showcased the sort of form that encapsulated their qualifying campaign with a landmark 2-0 victory over Ukraine – the country’s first win at the newly reformed European finals.

With third spot in the group very much in their own hands, a win or a draw would even give Northern Ireland an outside chance of claiming a top two finish depending on the result of the Poland vs Ukraine clash.

The Germans dominated their encounter against the Poles but squandered a host of chances as they were held to a goalless draw in a match that emphasised the world champions’ lack of a focal point in attack.

A win would seal top spot for Joachim Low’s side that has yet to hit its straps thus far in the tournament.

Key Battle – Can Northern Ireland blunt the German attack?

It will be a clash of contrasting styles with Northern Ireland looking to defend deep and frustrate a misfiring German attack that is lacking a quality front man to compliment the abundance of creative midfielders they have at their disposal.

Michael O’Neill’s men have shown in their first two outings that they are a tough nut to crack, demonstrating tremendous collective organisation and a steely determination in keeping their more illustrious opponents at bay.

They will again be facing another acid test in form of a German attack that possess a wealth of technically gifted players who can pick teams apart with their intricate passing game.

Experienced duo Gareth McAuley and Jonny Evans will be pivotal figures in defence as they look set for busy nights repelling waves of German attacks.

Goalscoring hero from the previous two World Cups Thomas Muller and wizardly number 10 Mesut Ozil have suffered dips in form in recent times and the star duo will be keen to rectify that and kick start Germany’s campaign with the round of 16 matchups just around the corner.

Team News  

It is extremely unlikely that O’Neill will make any changes from the lineup that defeated Ukraine in such professional manner. The gamble of making five alterations paid off for the former Shamrock Rovers boss and it is hard to see him swaying against this newly found formula between defence and attack.

The striker conundrum continues to concern Low who is likely to drop Mario Gotze after two ineffective performances in the false nine position. Seasoned striker Mario Gomez is the man most likely to replace Gotze at the point of Germany’s attack.

NIRGER

Head-to-Head 

Northern Ireland and Germany have met on 14 occasions with the Germans winning eight of those duals compared to Northern Ireland’s two.

Previous Meeting 

You have to date all the way back to 2005 to find the last meeting between these two nations when Germany ran out 4-1 winners in a friendly that centred around the 125th anniversary of the Irish Football Association.

There are four survivors from that encounter who are part of their respective squads for this years tournament.

The evergreen duo of Steven Davis and McAuley are still vital components to this evolved Northern Ireland outfit, while veterans Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger are having to contend with being squad players after being mainstays in the German side for close to a decade.

Prediction 

Northern Ireland will head into this David vs Goliath clash still very much on cloud nine after their heroics against Ukraine and they will be calling on all their spirit and grit if they are to cause a major boilover.

The quality of the world champions will shine through and they will prove to be too strong in the end.

Northern Ireland 0 Germany 3

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