England will host Germany in the UEFA Nations League on Monday at Wembley, looking to salvage some pride with a win.
Gareth Southgate’s side are coming into this game on the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Italy last time out. Giacomo Raspadori scored the only goal of the game as England succumbed to yet another defeat on their travels.
The Three Lions have nothing to play for, and they have been relegated to the UEFA Nations League B following the result against Italy.
Meanwhile, Germany are not in the best of form either, and they were beaten 1-0 by Hungary in their last outing. Their hopes of reaching the finals have been extinguished, and Die Mannschaft will look to bounce back strongly and redeem themselves with a win over their arch-rivals.
Both teams have had their fair share of struggles recently, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between England and Germany.
Team News & Tactics
England
Back to it.
The #ThreeLions' attention shifts towards Monday night's game against Germany. pic.twitter.com/1cJNZ72u7J
— England (@England) September 24, 2022
The hosts have been abysmal during the UEFA Nations League. England have failed to win any of the five group matches so far, with Gareth Southgate’s side picking up just two draws apart from the three defeats from their five outings while conceding seven goals in the process.
A win over Germany would go a long way to relieve some pressure on the England head coach and the players here. With the 2022 FIFA World Cup coming up later this year, England will need to get their rhythm back as soon as possible.
The hosts will be without the services of Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Pickford due to injuries. It will be interesting to see if Southgate is prepared to field an unchanged lineup from the defeat against Italy or if he decides to shuffle his pack for the home game against Germany.
England are likely to continue with a back three. John Stones, Harry Maguire and Eric Dier should start as the centre-backs, with Aaron Ramsdale in goal. Nick Pope did well against Italy, but Ramsdale is likely to be given some playing time as well.
Meanwhile, the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw could start as wing-backs, with Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham continuing in the middle of the park. Both midfielders were impressive against Italy, and they deserve to keep their places in the starting lineup.
Bukayo Saka was preferred over Luke Shaw for the left wing-back position. But the Arsenal winger looked out of place in an unnatural role. On the other hand, Shaw needs more match practice to be ready for the World Cup, and he should be given the nod ahead of Saka.
James was largely ineffective against Italy, and Alexander-Arnold is likely to start instead of him. As for the attacking unit, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling are expected to flank Harry Kane who will lead the line for England against Germany.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Ramsdale; Stones, Dier, Maguire; Alexander-Arnold, Rice, Bellingham, Shaw; Foden, Kane, Sterling
Germany
Germany have been quite disappointing by their standards in the UEFA Nations League thus far. They are currently third in Group A3 with just one win from five matches. It will be interesting to see if they can pick up a morale-boosting win away from home.
Hansi Flick will be without the services of Antonio Rudiger, Lukas Nmecha, Manuel Neuer, Leon Goretzka, Julian Brandt and Marco Reus.
ℹ️ Lukas Nmecha (knee problems) and @ToniRuediger (suspended) have both returned to their clubs as they will not be available for Monday's game against England. pic.twitter.com/o2nL4asXfC
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) September 24, 2022
The visitors are likely to deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen taking his place in goal. Benjamin Henrichs, Niklas Sule, Nico Schlotterbeck and David Raum are expected to form the back four against England.
As for the midfield unit, Joshua Kimmich and Ilkay Gundogan are likely to operate in the double pivot. Serge Gantry and Leroy Sane should operate on the flanks, with Thomas Muller in the hole behind Jamal Musiala, who will spearhead Germany’s attack against England.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): ter Stegen; Henrichs, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Raum; Gundogan, Kimmich; Gnabry, Muller, Sane; Musiala
Key Stats
- Out of the 34 meetings between these two sides, England have picked up 14 wins, and Germany have emerged victorious in 15. Five matches have ended in a draw.
- Germany have lost one of their 14 matches under Hansi Flick.
- Germany have picked up just one win from the last six matches across all competitions.
- England have failed to win the last five matches across all competitions.
- England have failed to find the net in four of the last five meetings across all competitions.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
The last time the #ThreeLions played Germany at Wembley…
⚽️ @HKane pic.twitter.com/0QZOYUm6SF
— England (@England) September 25, 2022
The England captain has done quite well for Tottenham this season, but he has struggled with the national team in the recent outings. England have scored just once in the UEFA Nations League so far, and the pressure will be on Kane to deliver the goods at Wembley on Monday night.
The 29-year-old is a world-class player who will be determined to showcase quality against Germany, and he is thus our player to watch for England’s final UEFA Nations League tie before they drop to the second tier.
Prediction
England 1-1 Germany
The last meeting between England and Germany back in July ended in a stalemate, and this one is likely to end in a stalemate as well. Neither team is in particularly good form right now and they are likely to cancel each other out. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw on Monday, with England ending their UEFA Nations League campaign without a win.
