Germany will host France in an international friendly on Tuesday night, looking to bounce back from their shocking defeat against Japan.
Hansi Flick has been shown the door after the catastrophic 4-1 home defeat against Japan, and Germany will be under pressure to bounce back strongly when they take on France at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday.
Despite having a top-class squad, Germany are without a win in their last five matches. But the fans will be expecting a turnaround here. Rudi Voller will take interim charge of the team as the DFB search for the next head coach.
Meanwhile, France are in impressive form right now, and they continued their winning run in the UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers with a 2-0 victory over Ireland in the last outing. Didier Deschamps’s men are full of confidence right now, and they will look to pile further misery on Germany tomorrow.
Team News and Tactics
Germany
The home side do not have any notable injury concerns ahead of this game, and they should be able to feel a full-strength lineup. Germany are likely to shape up in a 4-5-1 formation, with Marc-Andre Ter Stegen in goal.
Benjamin Henrichs and Robin Gosens are likely to line up as the full-backs, and they will look to help offensively apart from their defensive duties. Niklas Sule will partner Antonio Rudiger at the heart of the defence.
In the midfield three, Joshua Kimmich will be deployed as the defensive midfielder who will look to mop up the French attacks and win the ball back for his side. Ilkay Gundogan and Julian Brandt will add creativity and control to the side alongside him.
Leroy Sane and Thomas Muller will be deployed in the wide areas, and the two players will look to link up with the attack and create goal-scoring opportunities. Finally, Serge Gnabry is set to lead the line for Germany.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): ter Stegen; Henrichs, Sule, Rudiger, Gosens; Sane, Gundogan, Kimmich, Brandt, Muller; Gnabry
France
Olivier Giroud picked up an ankle injury against Ireland and is set to miss out for the visitors. The 2022 World Cup finalists have enough firepower at their disposal, and they should be able to cope with Giroud’s absence.
Sorti sur blessure lors de France – République d’Irlande (2-0), Olivier Giroud est forfait pour Allemagne – France… pic.twitter.com/PZm0j8cWLV
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) September 8, 2023
France are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Mike Maignan in goal. Benjamin Pavard and Theo Hernandez will be deployed as the full-backs, and they will look to keep things compact defensively. William Saliba will start alongside Axel Disasi at the heart of the defence.
In the midfield pivot, the Real Madrid duo of Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga will look to break up the opposition attacks and dominate the proceedings. Antoine Griezmann will continue in the number ten role, and he will look to add creativity and goals to the side.
Kingsley Coman and Kylian Mbappe will be deployed out wide and the two players will look to open up the German defence with their pace, flair and creativity. Finally, Randal Kolo Muani is set to lead the line in the absence of Giroud.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Pavard, Saliba, Disasi, Hernandez; Tchouameni, Camavinga; Coman, Griezmann, Mbappe; Kolo Muani
Key Stats
- France are on a five-game winning streak in the Euro Cup qualifier matches.
- Germany have failed to beat France in the last six encounters since the 1-0 win in the 2014 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.
- Germany are winless in five of the last six home outings across all competitions.
- France have won three of their last four away matches.
Key Player
Kylian Mbappe
The 24-year-old is one of the best players in the world, and he has scored four goals in five European Championship matches for France so far. The French international has a couple of assists to his name as well.
He has started the new season with PSG in splendid form, scoring five goals in just two starts in the league. Mbappe is coming into this game on the back of 17 goals in his last ten outings for club and country. Mbappe has the quality and form to cause all sorts of problems for a vulnerable German defence, and he could make a huge difference for France in the final third.
Prediction
Germany 1-2 France
France are undoubtedly the better team here, and they have the confidence and momentum with them. Germany were thoroughly outplayed by Japan in their last outing, and France are clearly an opposition of higher quality.
This is likely to be a close encounter, and Germany will be desperate to bounce back strongly. But the gulf in class between the two sides is evident. France should be able to emerge with a narrow 2-1 victory from this game.
