The huge England - Germany clash at EURO 2020 takes place at Wembley on Tuesday, and there are so many team selection dilemmas for Gareth Southgate and Joachim Low.
Who would you start in this monster England - Germany clash?
[ MORE: EURO 2020 hub ]
For England, they’ve looked solid defensively and are the only team at the tournament yet to concede a goal. Germany have looked shaky at the back but are lively in attack, as Low is stepping down after 15 years in charge of Die Mannschaft after this tournament and will want to finish on a high.
The Three Lions have the advantage of playing in front of their home fans at Wembley, with over 45,000 expected to be inside the famous stadium in London. But this is Germany and they always seem to find a way at a major tournament. Especially against England...
As if the stakes weren’t high enough, whichever team wins this game will really fancy their chances of reaching the semifinals and final, at Wembley, as they are on the easier side of the knockout stage bracket.
Below is a look at the latest England - Germany team news, projected starting lineups and how to watch.
How to watch, stream
When: June 11 to July 11
TV Channel/Stream: ESPN and ESPN+
Live updates, stats: Online via NBCSports.com
Projected England starting XI (4-3-3)
----- Pickford -----
--- Walker --- Stones --- Maguire --- Shaw ---
---- Phillips ---- Rice ----
----- Grealish -----
--- Foden --- Kane --- Sterling ---
The back four and goalkeeper pretty much selects itself, as Southgate could switch to a 3-4-3 to match up with Germany. That seems unlikely given how solid England have been so far but Trippier or Reece James could start ahead of Kyle Walker at right back. In midfield, Jordan Henderson likely isn’t fit enough to start but he could easily replace Kalvin Phillips.
Mason Mount would be a surprise starter after his 10 days of isolation due to being a close contact to Scotland’s Billy Gilmour who tested positive. That means Jack Grealish is likely to start in the central attacking area. Ben Chilwell has also had to isolate but there are no injury concerns at all for Southgate and England.
Despite not scoring at EURO 2020, yet, Harry Kane will captain England and lead the line, while Raheem Sterling seems destined to start on the left. That leaves Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka battling for the spot on the right and reports suggest that Foden will start despite Saka’s man of the match display last time out. Southgate has options and the likes of Mount, Saka, Sancho and Henderson could all play huge roles off the bench.
Projected Germany starting XI (3-4-3)
----- Neuer -----
---- Ginter ---- Hummels ---- Rudiger ----
--- Kimmich --- Kroos --- Goretzka --- Gosens ----
---- Sane ---- Gnabry ---- Havertz ----
Germany have favored a 3-4-3 system at this tournament and that is mostly to get the excellent Joshua Kimmich and Robert Gosens involved from wing-back positions. Hummels and Ginter have looked shaky at times, so perhaps Low will switch to a back four? What seems more likely is a switch in central midfield. Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gundogan are wonderful players and have tons of experience, but many are calling for Leon Goretzka (the man who scored the equalizer against Hungary to send them into the last 16) to start in central midfield.
Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry and Kai Havertz have a great blend of skill and speed up top, with Thomas Muller likely to play a big part too. But don’t be surprised if teenager Jamal Musaila (a former England youth international) plays a big role and Timo Werner may also be unleashed off the bench. There are some big attacking decisions for both Low and Southgate to make as only Lukas Klostermann is missing through injury.
