Die Mannschaft begin their charge for complete football domination against Ukraine at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy early tomorrow morning.
Highly-touted favourites to ultimately win Euro 2016, Joachim Loew’s side are looking to complete the double of winning both the World Cup and the continental crown within two years. The final road into the tournament has been a little more bumpy than expected though, with the Germans losing three consecutive friendly games to England, Italy and Slovakia – before a 2-0 win over Hungary steadied the ship last week.
Nonetheless, a massive challenge still awaits Mykhailo Fomenko’s men in their opening game of the tournament. Having booked their spot through a third place playoff triumph over Slovenia and possessing a squad lacking major star quality, the Yellow-Blue will hope the defensive structure that saw them never concede more than one goal in a game during qualifying, plus their pace out wide, could lead to an upset over the world champions.
Key Battle – Thomas Muller vs Yevhen Konoplyanka
Coming off the back of his most successful Bundesliga season to date, 26-year-old Thomas Muller may be in the prime of his career as this showcase competition kicks-off. The Bayern Munich star hit the 20 goal mark in the German top-flight over 2015-16 and also produced eight in the Champions League, possessing the eye for goal and finishing ability that inspires nightmares in opposition. Muller will add an extra dimension to the Die Mannschaft attack, which is visibly low on natural strikers.
Conversely, if Ukraine are to take advantage of any cracks we have seen in Loew’s setup of late, Yevhen Konoplyanka will need to be at his best. The Sevilla winger’s pace could definitely cause problems for Germany’s backline if he can find space between the lines and in combination with fellow wide man Andriy Yarmolenko, there should be some decent moments of attacking momentum for Fomenko’s side in the match.
Team News
Injuries have taken their toll on Germany’s squad even before the beginning of the tournament, with Borussia Dortmund playmaker Marco Reus left out of the final squad announcement, while Antonio Rudiger’s torn ACL saw youngster Johnathan Tah earn a late call up. There is some talk that Mats Hummels might have to come into the squad despite a calf issue.
Ukraine coach Fomenko has little in terms of injuries to worry about, and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Taras Stepanenko will add to the attacking strength of his midfield. For this match though it is likely that their defence especially will be facing the pressure, led by the versatile 26-year-old Yaroslav Rakitskiy.
Head-to-head
This will be just the sixth meeting between these two countries, with the previous clashes coming in the qualifying stages for the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. Germany hold two victories, while three of the games have ended in draws.
Previous Meeting
Die Mannschaft recorded a comprehensive 4-1 victory over the Ukrainians in November of 2001. A Michael Ballack double, plus goals from Oliver Neuville and Marko Rehmer meant a 90th minute finish from Andriy Shevchenko was only consolation.
Prediction
Ukraine will be rearing to make up for their poor showing at Euro 2012 and to prove their now 19th placed world ranking is warranted. An upset here is not entirely out of the question due to Germany’s recent showings, however, the firepower in Joachim Loew’s squad should get them over the line in a tighter contest than many probably expect.
Germany 2 Ukraine 1
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.
