Denmark and Germany are set to go head-to-head at the Brondby stadium on Tuesday night for an international friendly.
Denmark will face the reigning world champions Germany at the Brondby stadium in an international friendly match on Tuesday. Joachim Low’s side are heavily favoured to win the encounter before they set their sights on getting a step closer to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in a qualifier against San Marino later this week.
The German side have not lost a single game in their last six fixtures, with the draw against Italy back in November their only winless result in the period, and look like the stronger side when compared to Denmark. Most of the German players have been in blistering form for their respective clubs and they are a well-balanced squad.
Denmark, on the other hand, have won just one out of their last five matches and facing Germany might seem like a daunting ask. They don’t have a great record against the visitors either, with their last meeting ending in a 2-1 win for Germany at UEFA Euro 2012.
Both teams will get their World Cup qualifying campaigns back underway later this week, as Denmark will travel to Kazakhstan, whilst Germany will host minnows San Marino. Ahead of their friendly this Tuesday night, The Hard Tackle takes a look at how both teams have fared so far.
Team News and Tactics
Germany
Germany were unable to add another feather to their cap by adding the European Championship to their trophy haul last summer as they were beaten by France in the semi-final stages. Now, however, their focus will be on retaining the scintillating Jules Rimet trophy in Russia next year.
Under the new rules of the World Cup, the Germans must again qualify for the finals in order to defend their trophy, but so far as they have been winning with ease and will look to continue the same form against the Danes.
The German defence, in particular, has been strong. Die Mannschaft have conceded only one goal since Antoine Griezmann’s double at the Euros last July, and that solitary goal came from Dimitri Nazarov’s strike when they played Azerbaijan in March.
Timo Werner is likely to miss out on this game and feature in Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against San Marino. Big names such as Manuel Neuer, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels will be out due to injuries and in order to get some rest after their club commitments.
The absence of Werner is likely to open the door for Sandro Wagner to start following his first call-up.
A strong defensive performance against Denmark will be ideal for Germany since that will allow them more time to seal the deal by pushing for a goal after establishing a good dominance over the game.
Joachim Low is expected to rest several of his key players for the friendly on Tuesday night, since he will need them in shape for the qualifying matches.
Probable Starting XI (4-3-3): Ter Stegen, Hector, Kimmich, Mustafi, Rudiger, Demme, Goretzka, Can, Stindl, Brandt, Wagner
Denmark
Back-to-back defeats in October dashed Denmark’s World Cup hopes. However, they have gotten back on track after sealing a 4-1 win over Kazakhstan and a 0-0 draw in Romania. Ahead of their big qualifier with Kazakhstan, Denmark sit third in Group E, and are level on points with Montenegro, but six points behind leaders Poland.
Denmark haven’t been strong enough in the qualifying matches, but in front of their own fans in friendly matches, the Danes have been quite resilient in recent times, having beaten the rising forces of USA and Iceland. This test, however, will be a lot tougher.
Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel will sit this game out and Ronnow is likely to take his place.
While they do possess the quality of players like Yussuf Poulsen and Christian Eriksen, Denmark will have their minds focused on a potential disaster at the hands of Kazakhstan and will be extra-cautious whereas Germany have the luxury to rotate their squad and still emerge victorious.
Facing Germany will seem like an uphill task considering how strong Low’s squad is. Denmark will have to rely on slowly building up possession and then seizing the chance for counter-attacks. The German defence has been strong and the best way to break that is by launching a sneaky counter-attack when they least expect it.
However, since this is a friendly at the end of the day, Denmark are likely to save their best for Kazakhstan next weekend.
Probable lineup: Ronnow, Christensen, Kjaer, Vestergaard, Durmisi, Kvist, Schone, Delaney, Eriksen, Andersen, Poulsen
Key Stats
- Denmark have won just one of their last five international matches
- Germany meanwhile have lost just one of their last fifteen
- It has been 10 years since Denmark’s last win over Germany
- Germany have been winning at the interval in four of their five World Cup qualifying victories so far.
- Since the Euros, Germany have only failed to score in five halves
Prediction
Germany are likely to win this game 2-0, considering the form of both teams in recent events.
The Germans have been in excellent form after being subjected to a loss by France in the Euro 2016 tournament. They are defensively strong and can restrict the likes of Thomsen and Fischer while their attack has been strong enough owing to their control over the midfield.
Denmark, on the other hand, will have the home advantage but they are going to face a squad as strong as Germany and their nerves are likely to play up before the match starts. However, they have been in good form at home during friendlies, so they will be looking to harness some of that energy.
Having said that, Germany still have the potential to outplay them in this friendly and that’s how the match is likely to end.
