Germany National Football Team

Manager / Joachim Low
Appointed / July 2006
Captain / Manuel Neuer
Top Scorer in Euro 2020 Qualifiers / Serge Gnabry, 8
Top Scorer in Squad (Domestic season 2020-21) / Kevin Volland, 16 (Monaco, French Ligue 1)
Most Carded in qualifying / 4 players on one card: Robin Koch, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich and Emre Can
Group / F, vs. France (16/06/2021), vs. Portugal (20/06/2021), vs. Hungary (24/06/2021)

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *

Germany Road to Euro 2020

Very much a changing of the guard in German football at the moment as long-term manager Joachim Low has confirmed he will be standing down as head coach at the end of the Euros following a spell of 15 years in charge. Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick has agreed to take over following the completion of the tournament and will be in charge of Die Mannschaft until at least Euro 2024.

Seems the right time for everybody in German football to move on. Low appears to have lost his touch somewhat which is understandable after 15 years in the job and with many of the senior players who won the World Cup in 2014 now either retired or close to retiring I feel the imminent appointment of the youthful Hansi Flick seems a smart one.

They qualified for the Euros with relative ease finishing top of a very easy Group C with the Netherlands finishing in 2nd. Northern Ireland, Belarus and Estonia were the other sides in the group and it is of little surprise to see the Germans win 7 of their 8 qualifying games.

They have however been rather poor in their Nations League campaign where they have worryingly struggled against higher quality opposition. Placed in Group 4 of League A alongside Spain, Ukraine and Switzerland; Germany managed just two wins from their 6 games played, picking up some heavy losses along the way. Their 6-0 loss away in Spain at the back end of last year was branded as one of the worst results in their history and Low and his team are yet to really recover from that debacle.

Germany Euro 2020 Squad

Low has announced his 26 man squad for the Euros and although there are a few stellar names here and there it is far from the star-studded squad which won the World Cup back in 2014. It is a largely youthful squad with some experienced names dotted in to add some much-needed knowhow. Low decided to recall both Mats Hummels and Thomas Muller despite telling them previously he didn’t intend to select them again. Potentially a sign of desperation from the coach but from the outside looking in and it isn’t a squad that fills me with confidence.

Goalkeeper

An impressive trio of keepers named by Low with captain Manuel Neuer supported by Bernd Leno of Arsenal and Kevin Trapp of Frankfurt. Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen would ideally have been included but he will miss the tournament due to required surgery on a problematic knee injury. Despite his advancing years (35 now), Neuer is still undisputed number 1 for Germany and there is no chance of him being displaced any time soon. With 98 caps to his name, the experience and confidence he will bring to a relatively inexperienced German backline will be invaluable. Germany certainly have their problems but I would suggest that the goalkeeper position certainly isn’t one of them.

Defence

The defence certainly hasn’t looked to be the most stable recently, something which Low has even admitted prior to the tournament. The return of Hummels to the squad was an attempt to try and stabilise it with Low saying “In the defence we did not have the desired stability recently. Mats is a player who influences other players and brings experience.” Rudiger has certainly shown his qualities since Tuchel has taken over at Chelsea and has proven that he has plenty of ability should he have a manager who trusts and believes in him. Robin Gosens has had an exceptional season with club side Atalanta scoring 12 goals and providing 8 assists and providing plenty of attacking threat. He could even be a decent shout for top-scoring defender if you manage to find a market on that. Beyond that there are plenty of relatively unknown/inexperienced options with very few caps including Christian Gunter, Robin Koch, Marcel Halstenberg and Lukas Klostermann. Putting it lightly this is a backline that I certainly think can be gotten at and with the French and Portuguese to face there is potential it could get nasty for the Germans.

Midfield

The midfield is much more what you would expect from a German side, full of quality and experience and is without doubt the strongest part of the squad. Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gundogan and Josh Kimmich will be used in the centre of the park to form a particularly strong midfield spine. Kroos with his exceptional technique boasts a 93 percent pass completion for Real Madrid in La Liga this season; Gundogan is 13-goal top scorer for Premier League winners Manchester City. Leon Goretzka is another outstandingly reliable option in the middle of the park. From a creative sense Kai Havertz can also drop back into midfield if Germany are in need of a goal to add even further quality. The Champions League winning goal will give Havertz endless confidence going into the summer and I can see him being a key player this summer. They are certainly not lacking in options there and should still be able to compete with the best. The likes of Kroos however have shown signs of ageing and there is potential that some of the more athletic sides in the competition could overrun them.

Attack

In the post-Miroslav Klose era, Germany may not boast a world-class No.9, although some may argue the game has evolved to leave the position in its wake anyway. Instead, Löw employs Timo Werner and Bayern pair Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane in a fluid front three with plenty of pace. They do lack that cutting edge in front of goal somewhat however and will be desperate for Thomas Muller to find his goalscoring form of old. Kevin Volland should provide a decent option from the bench too. The Monaco striker is the top scorer in the squad domestically with his 18 goals in all competitions this season and should be full of confidence.

Germany predicted line-up vs. France: Neuer, Rudiger, Hummels, Sule; Kimmich, Kroos, Gundogan, Gosens; Sane, Werner, Gnabry (3-4-3)

Germany Euro 2020 Betting Tips & Predictions

As previously mentioned, Germany are pitted in the group of death alongside reigning European Champions Portugal and of course World champions France. I expect them to struggle against the high-quality opposition as they have done in the Nations League and predict both France and Portugal will finish above them. Hungary are the clear underdogs in the group and should finish bottom meaning I am predicting the Germans to finish 3rd. That is priced at 4.2 on Paddypower which looks exceptional value given the context of the group.

The stand out attacking player for me in the German side is undoubtedly Serge Gnabry. The former Arsenal forward has an extraordinary goalscoring record at international level with 15 goals scored in his 19 caps. He was comfortably top scorer in qualifying for this competition with 8 goals to his name and priced at 3.75 to be the Germans top scorer I think this looks a very decent shout.

Predicted stage of elimination: Round of 16

How to watch Portugal v Germany in Euro 2020

📅   When / Saturday, 19 June 2021, 17:00 BST
🏟   Where / Allianz Arena (Munich)
📺   TV / ITV, STV, ZDF
📱   Online streaming / bet365