Germany welcomed Greece to Borussia Park on Friday night in their final warm-up game before hosting UEFA Euro 2024.
Germany face Greece in their final friendly before they begin their quest for European Championship glory as the host nation. The two nations meet for the first time in 12 years after Die Mannschaft last won 4-2 in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012. Since replacing Hansi Flick as head coach last September, Julian Nagelsmann has had a rather mixed start to life in the German hot seat.
Nagelsmann could take positives from his side’s dominant performance at the Max-Morlock-Stadion, but they ultimately lacked a cutting edge in the final third. They have players who are capable of making a difference, if they win this upcoming match it will surely give them confidence for the big tournament ahead.
Greece are preparing for their first match since March, when they crashed out of Euro 2024 qualification following a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat in the play-off semi-final against Georgia. The Greeks have never beaten the German team, but now they will have a chance to beat them, it will surely be a very difficult task for them. The visitors will have to try their best to take something positive from this match.
Team news
Germany boss Nagelsmann is able to call up Toni Kroos, Antonio Rudiger and Niclas Fullkrug and Nic Schlotterbeck, who all missed out against Ukraine after being given extra time off following last weekend’s Champions League final.
Both Rudiger and Schlotterbeck are in contention for a return to central defence, with Joshua Kimmich and either Maximilian Mittelstadt or David Raum expected to fill the full-back roles.
Kroos, who is leaving after Euro 2024, could return to midfield to start alongside captain Ilkay Gundogan, while Robert Andrich, Pascal Gross and Aleksandar Pavlovic will battle it out for the remaining midfield spot.
Fullkrug is Germany’s top scorer in the Nagelsmann era with four goals in six games and could replace Kai Havertze at centre-forward, while Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz and Leroy Sane are among the other forwards hoping to feature in the starting XI.
As for Greece, 36-year-old defender Giorgos Tzavellas has retired from international football, while Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas and former Sheffield United right-back George Baldock – who both played against Georgia in March – are notable absences from the senior squad. .
St Pauli’s Manolis Saliakas – one of three Greek players active at club level in Germany – could start at right-back in Baldock’s absence, while Norwich City’s Dimitris Giannoulis can replace Tsimikas on the left of the back four.
After winning the Europa Conference League with Olympiacos last month, Giorgos Masouras is looking to start in attack and could be joined by Fortuna Düsseldorf’s Christos Tzolis and Panathinaikos’ Fotis Ioannidis in the starting eleven.
Germany possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Kimmich, Tah, Rudiger, Mittelstadt; Kroos, Andrich; Musiala, Gundogan, Wirtz; Fullkrug
Greece possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Saliakas, Chatzidiakos, Mavropanos, Giannoulis; Bakesetas, Kourbelis, Mantalos; Masouras, Ioannidis, Tzolis
Leave a comment