Prediction: Germany vs England

Verdict: Both teams to score – yes

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: Bet365

England travel to Dortmund on Wednesday to lock horns with Germany in what is likely to be yet another highly-contested match between two great international rivals, before both sides get back to 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers next weekend.

Germany

Joackim Low’s men head to the midweek clash against England looking to extend their unbeaten run to six matches in a row. Having been eliminated from the European Championship finals at the hands of the host nation France, Germany bounced back in style and opened their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign on a high note. Low’s men have gone 540 minutes without conceding a goal on the international stage – through four qualifiers and two international friendlies – but the Three Lions will be the toughest test to their fine form as the history teaches us games between these teams tend to yield plenty of goals. Die Mannschaft are looking to gain revenge on England who prevailed in the last meeting of the two sides in Berlin last March, but with much more important match at Azerbaijan only four days away, it will be interesting to see whether Joachim Low will field his strongest possible side against the Three Lions. Whichever line-up he goes for, Low has players of extraordinary quality at his disposal, all of which are capable of solving the game on their own and creating a huge difference on the pitch.

Team News

First-choice goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has been ruled out of the following international games due to an injury picked up at training and his absence could be a big blow for Germany.

Mesut Ozil hasn’t featured for Arsenal last weekend and must be considered a doubt for the forthcoming clash. Long-term absentee Jerome Boateng is missing out as well, whereas Lukas Podolski returns to say farewell to the national team.

England

The Three Lions have had a lot of things going on since their disappointing exit from the EURO 2016 with Sam Allardyce getting involved in a sickening scandal and interim boss Gareth Southgate subsequently earning his permanent place at the helm. It’s been over three months since the young tactician has been given an opportunity to lead England on a full-time basis and he would have been rather disappointed to see his side drop a two-goal lead in an international friendly against Spain last time out. Similar to Germany, the Three Lions are yet to lose a single game since their elimination in France and the following game will be another valuable test for the young English side. Gareth Southgate’s men will be fully focused for their match at Westfalenstadion, but will still have the Lithuania World Cup qualifier in their minds as well. Four games into the qualifying process, England are topping their Group F with three wins and one draw, but without a single goal conceded in the process.

Team News

Gareth Southgate is without Michail Antonio, Jordan Henderson, Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge for both internationals.

Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford and Jermain Defoe are all pushing for a place upfront against Germany, whereas arguably the biggest surprise was the exclusion of Arsenal star man Theo Walcott.

Key Factors to Consider

• Germany are unbeaten in last six matches across all competitions (W5 D1)
• Die Mannschaft have kept clean sheets in all six matches
• England are yet to lose their last five games (W3 D2)
• Three Lions won 2 of last 3 games on German soil
• There hasn’t been a draw between two sides since 1982

Conclusion

Germany and England will use the game in Dortmund to test some options ahead of World Cup qualifying matches and two managers are expected to experiment a bit with their line-ups. The forthcoming clash is a perfect chance for some players to prove their worth and we are expecting a highly-contested match with goals on both sides on the pitch.

Verdict: Both teams to score – yes

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: Bet365