Prediction: England vs Germany

Verdict: Germany to win

Best Odds: 11/10

Bookmakers: Bet 365

England welcome their historic rivals Germany to Wembley in the first of two high-profile friendlies for Gareth Southgate’s side. The former U-21s manager has opted to give various young players a chance by including the likes of Tammy Abraham and Joe Gomez in the squad, and friendlies such as these should serve as excellent experience for players who are still developing. It will be incredibly interesting to see if England can translate their recent success at youth level into big senior performances against some of the world’s most talented footballing nations, starting with Germany.

England

You might be forgiven for thinking that England were a highly impressive, ruthlessly clinical and defensively solid side, based solely upon their qualifying record. However statistics alone can be misleading when it comes to England, though the disappointing tally of 18 goals scored in 10 qualifying games is one that Gareth Southgate cannot hide from. In truth the famous footballing nation made this qualifying campaign a lot more difficult than it needed to be, relying on a number of late goals from Harry Kane and nervy wins to scrape through the group.

There are of course positives however and the simple fact alone that England will be at the World Cup is the biggest of these. An unbeaten qualifying run is a welcome sight for a side who were humiliated by Iceland at the European Championships just one year ago, even if the opposition in Group F didn’t represent the elite of Europe’s footballing nations. England’s shining light Harry Kane will miss this game against Germany through injury, and that fact alone removes a lot of the hope that may have been lingering regarding an England win.

Team News

While Gareth Southgate is spoiled for choice when it comes to selecting defenders, England’s midfield and attack has been decimated by injury in recent weeks and some key players will be missing through injury.

The talented Tottenham trio of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Harry Winks are all sidelined, removing an important spine of the England team. Amongst the Liverpool contingent both Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana will miss out, as will Fabian Delph and Raheem Sterling of high-flying Manchester City.

Germany

Germany had an outstanding qualifying campaign, winning all 10 of their games and scoring a colossal 43 goals in total. Die Mannschaft found themselves in a similar situation to England in that they faced relatively uninspiring opposition in their group, but the Germans managed to dispatch the teams they faced in much more convincing fashion than their Friday night opponents.

Joachim Löw’s side also conceded just four times through qualifying, despite being without their world-class goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, and the strength in depth of the Germany squad became increasingly evident as the campaign progressed. One of the features that makes the Germans such a formidable team is the flexibility of both formation and players. Joshua Kimmich serves as a prime example of this, capable of playing both centrally or on the right side of midfield, as well as being deployed as a fullback. Germany have a clear identity, which is something that England are currently lacking, and they should have enough to breeze past their historic rivals.

Team News

Germany’s injury issues are significantly less severe than those of England, though they are without some regular starters in Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer.

Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi, who is somewhat less of a regular starter, will miss out, as will highly sought after Schalke midfielder Leon Goretzka.

Key Factors to Consider

• England went unbeaten during their World Cup qualifying, winning eight and drawing two of their 10 games.
• England conceded just three goals in qualifying and managed to find the back of the net 18 times.
• Germany had a 100% record in qualifying, winning all 10 of their games.
• Germany scored a remarkable 43 goals in their 10 qualifying games and conceded just four times.
• England are without top scorer in qualifying Harry Kane for this game.

Conclusion

There was already a significant gulf in class between the squads of England and Germany, and that was before the home side lost Harry Kane and Dele Alli through injury. The Germans are favourites to win this game, and rightly so, especially considering the fact that Southgate will likely use this game as another chance to experiment with the three-at-the-back system and give some youngsters a chance.

Verdict: Germany to win

Best Odds: 11/10

Bookmakers: Bet 365