Having both claimed hard fought wins in their opening group encounters, Germany and Poland will once again go head-to-head after also qualifying through to the tournament from the same qualification group.
Winner takes the spoils
Germany came through victors over Ukraine in their first game of the tournament. Goals from Shkodran Mustafi and Bastien Schweinsteiger ensured that the world Champions would avoid any early hiccups as they went top of the group.
Like Germany, Poland too managed a win on the opening week, beating Northern by a single goal. Arkadiusz Milik’s goal ensured that the White Eagles will take on the Germans, level on points. The Poles who shocked the world when they beat the reigning World Champions 1-0 in the qualifying process. Many expected Germany to run away with the qualifying group but were instead made to work extremely hard to claim top spot, with Lewandowski and Co. only narrowly finishing a point behind in second place.
Another win over the Germans will all but guarantee that Adam Nawałka’s side progression into the knockout phase but Joachim Löw’s side can never be underestimated.
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Big stars to shine?
Despite winning the game 2-0, Germany were far from their best with many of their star players failing to play to their World Class standards. Thomas Müller was tipped by many to claim the Golden shoe at the end of the tournament but by the looks of it he seems to have taken a deeper role than expected and was largely subdued as a result. Mario Götze was another who was not played in his regular position, as Löw preferred to play him in a false nine role and the 24-year-old did not make the impact that he was capable of.
Poland were quite the opposite, they were by far the better side and deserved more than just a goal to show for their dominance. Robert Lewandowski was closely watched throughout the game preventing the deadly striker from creating the usual havoc and barely had any sight of goal.
Both teams will need all their players to be at the very top of the game if they are to get the better of one another.
Discipline vs Mechanical
Adam Nawałka showed what his side bring to the table after their opening game. Not only were the Poles deadly in attack, but were also much disciplined defensively. Kyle Lafferty was given no freedom as The Green and White army’s direct approach proved to be ineffective. They will need every bit of that defensive solidarity to hold back the Germans.
Despite an unconvincing win, Germany showed everyone why they are World Champions. Efficiency was guaranteed amongst a group known to be ‘Machines’ and they delivered. Not a single German fan would care how they won the game as long as they secure the three points. A 2-0 win in a European Championship against a tough opponent in Ukraine takes some work and Joachim Löw’s side undoubtedly put in quite a shift.
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