vs
GERMANY
November 18, 19:45 BST
Vigo, Spain
*****
A rematch of the 2010 World Cup semifinal sees Spain square off against reigning World cup champions Germany in a friendly on Tuesday, 18th November 2014. Both teams are missing their first-choice goalkeepers as Manchester United‘s David De Gea and Bayern Munich‘s Manuel Neuer nurse injuries suffered on international duty. Chelsea’sAi??Andre Schurrle will also miss the match due to illness.
Germany come into this match on the back of a 4-0 win over Gibraltar in their Euro 2016 qualifier last week, while Spain beat Belarus 3-0 to recover from a shaky start to their qualifying campaign for the 2016 Euro Championships.
Germany boss Joachin Low wants his team to end a fantastic year on a high. After winning the World Cup in Brazil, Germany have had a disastrous time, losing to Argentina and Poland and drawing with Ireland, thereby starting their road to the Euros on a shaky note.
Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque will be hoping his team continue their fine run of form and notch up three wins on the top.
Team News
Both managers have plenty of headaches ahead of the match in the form of injuries and late withdrawals.
Spain
The biggest news coming out of the Spain camp is the injury to Manchester United Goalkeeper David De Gea. The Spaniard dislocated a finger on his right hand and looks to be out for atleast 3 weeks, so Iker Casillas looks set to reprise his role as Spainai??i??s No.1.
Chelsea striker Diego Costa was not included in the squad after boss Jose Mourinho appealed to Del Bosque to allow his striker recovery time and avoid further injuries. Cesc Fabregas is out with a hamstring injury and Manchester City playmaker David Silva is also out injured.
Germany
Germany will be without a number of key players, most notably goalkeeper Manuel Neuer who returned to his club Bayern Munich to recover from a knee injury. Andre Schurrle, Jerome Boateng and Christoph Kramer are the other casualties, so Low will have to change his plans to face the Spanish armada.
Tactics and Line-ups
Spain
No surprises in the way the Spaniards intend to play, and with the likes of Isco and Busquets controlling the centre, expect the home side to dominate possession. Isco and Pedro have been in fine form recently, so Del Bosque will be expecting his wingers to take the game to Germany.
Juventus striker Alvaro Morata made his debut in the 3-0 won over Belarus, and with Costa unavailable, Del Bosque could turn to the former Real Madrid man to lead the line in the friendly on Tuesday.
Expectations are that Del Bosque will rotate his side to give the fringe players a chance to shine on the global stage.
Predicted line-up: Casillas (GK), Azpilicueta, Ramos, Pique, Alba, Busquets, Koke, Pedro, Isco, Cazorla, Morata
Germany
Mario Goetze will most likely reprise his role as the false nine, with Low also expected to inflict a host of changes to the side that beat Gibraltar 4-0 last week. Lukas Podolski, Thomas Muller and Kruse will likely complete the attacking quartet.
Sami Khedira could also get some game-time as the Real Madrid man continues his return to full match fitness.
Predicted line-up: Zieler (GK), Mustafi, Howedes, Durm; L Bender, Kroos, Khedira; Gotze, Podolski, Muller; Kruse
Key Fact:
Germany lead 7-6 in the head to head record between these two European heavyweights, with eight draws being played out, although Spain have won the last three meetings, including the final of the 2008 European Championships.
Predictions
The bookies are favouring a draw between the two heavyweights, with the players coming at the end of yet another international camp. Considering the fresh faces that could take the pitch on Tuesday, a scoring draw is highly likely.
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