An invigorated Slovakian side faces their biggest challenge of Euro 2016 when they meet Die Mannschaft in the round of 16 later tonight.
Finishing the at the top of Group C, the Germans went through the opening matches with the efficiency that is typical of their football – but failed to snatch any headlines with the scorelines. A 2-0 win over Ukraine was an expected result, before a rather relaxed stalemate with the other group favourite Poland. It was not until last week’s encounter against Northern Ireland that observers began to see signs of the real reigning world champions, with some heroics from opposition custodain Michael McGovern preventing a likely three or four goal haul. Fans will hope these are similar signs to that of Rio 2014 – where the Germans were similarly slow out of the gate.
Conversely, Ján Kozák’s men have displayed the type of ‘never say die’ attitude on the pitch that captures the mind of observers and will want to make the most of their chances in the knockout stage after finishing third in a tough Group B. A 2-1 loss on the opening matchday to Wales dented their early hopes, but Repre bounced back quickly with a classy victory over Russia and a 0-0 draw with England to save their tournament.
READ MORE: Euro 2016 – Three Key Talking Points – Slovakia vs Germany
Key Battle – Toni Kroos vs Marek Hamsik
In a tournament where the Germany attack has not been at their best, the back-half of Loew’s setup has had to compensate to avoid the low-scoring upsets we have seen go against some of Euro 2016’s other big teams. In these times of defensive need, it seems one only needs to look toward Toni Kroos, who has been dominating in the screening role over the first three games. Leading the entire tournament in terms of completed forward passes, the Real Madrid expertly kills the opposition momentum and provides the counterpoint for the Germans to attack themselves.
Loew’s defence will come up against one of their tougher challenges of the tournament yet, with Slovakia’s forwards able to test anyone when in full effect. Marek Hamsik will be the one with the expectations of a nation on his shoulders, but we have seen already the type of influence he can have over a game in the contest with Russia. The Napoli playmaker provided the assist for midfield partner Vladimir Weiss, before scoring with a picturesque strike of his own. The 28-year-old will need to conjure up some magic to upset Germany – but one opportunity is all he may need.
Team News
Although the formidable Mats Hummels has proven his fitness in the group stage, Jerome Boeteng was forced off against Northern Ireland with a calf issue and doubts remain over his availability. Veteran Bastian Schweinsteiger may also see more minutes, but Loew with keep the majority of his squad unchanged.
Ján Kozák has little to worry about in terms of personnel and will go in with the same XI that took on England – with midfielder Robert Mak expected to pass a late fitness test.
Head-to-head
Tonight’s game will be the 11th encounter between the two sides (with Slovakia as an independant nation), with every match so far having a definitive result. Germany have won seven times – compared to three for Repre.
Previous Meeting
The Slovaks will know that they can hurt the world champions – claiming a resounding 3-1 win in a friendly game just before Euro 2016 began. Hamsik, Michal Duris and Juraj Kucka all scored, cancelling out an early penalty from Mario Gomez.
Prediction
Loew will want to make sure his team’s performances keep getting better, but the lager focus may be on containing the mazy Slovakian threats on goal. Expect Germany to come out strong and look to take an early advantage, with any hopes of an upset surely resting on the performance of Hamsik.
Germany 2 Slovakia 0
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
