2018 FIFA World Cup winners France travel to play Germany in the UEFA EURO 2020 Group F opening game.
France and Germany are more used to meeting at the other end of tournaments, and maybe they still will, but for the first time they face off in a group game.
France have won 16 of their last 20 matches, losing only once, and much of the attention will be on whether Didier Deschamps opts to field the returning Karim Benzema alongside Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé.
Like France’s potentially lethal triumvirate, Germany’s attackers will attempt to pull defenders into places where they don’t want to go. As Deschamps said: “The objective is to be effective in both boxes because that’s where the game will be decided.”
Germany coach Joachim Löw is equally aware of the difficulty posed by his rivals as he prepares for the start of the last-ever tournament of his 15-year reign, explaining: “Both sides have dangerous attacks. You have to be focused every second and not take your eyes off any of them.”
After some mixed results in recent years, Germany intend to reignite the spark in Munich. The opposition and the occasion certainly offer the right parameters to do so, but do they have the fire power to make full use of whatever France’s well-drilled defence offers them?
France are unbeaten in five matches against Germany (W3 D2), since a 1-0 loss in the quarter-finals of Germany’s triumphant campaign at the 2014 World Cup, Mats Hummels heading the only goal.
In the other Group F action, 2016 winners Portugal begin their title defence against Hungary.
Possible line-ups
France: Lloris; Pavard, Varane, Kimpembe, Hernández; Pogba, Kanté, Rabiot; Griezmann, Benzema, Mbappé
Germany: Neuer; Ginter, Hummels, Rüdiger; Kimmich, Gündoğan, Kroos, Gosens; Havertz, Müller, Gnabry
