Germany vs Greece–Germany welcome Greece to Borussia-Park on Friday night for their final warm-up match before hosting Euro 2024.
Germany vs Greece-The 2 nations met for the 1st time in 12 years when Die Mannschaft claimed a 4-2 victory in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012.
Match preview
Germany vs Greece-Since replacing Hansi Flick as head coach in September last year, Julian Nagelsmann has had a relatively mixed start to life in Germany’s hotseat, winning 3, drawing 2 and losing 2 of his first 7 games in charge.
After ending 2023 in disappointing fashion with back-to-back friendly defeats to Turkey and Austria, Die Mannschaft claimed impressive wins over France and the Netherlands in March, before playing out a goalless stalemate with Ukraine in their most recent warm-up match on Monday.
Nagelsmann took positives from his side’s dominant display at the Max-Morlock-Stadion, but ultimately managed just five of their 27 shots on target in the final third, a concern heading into Euro 2024. .
Germany vs Greece-Germany will be keen to get back to winning ways on Friday against a Greece side they have beaten in 6 of their previous 9 meetings, scoring at least twice on 6 occasions.
Victory over Greece would set them up nicely ahead of their opening Group A match of Euro 2024 against Scotland on June 14, before games against Hungary and Switzerland in their remaining two matches.
Greece are preparing for their first match since March when they were eliminated from Euro 2024 qualification after a heartbreaking penalty-shootout loss to Georgia in the play-off semi-final.
Galanolefki took 13 points from their qualification group, with France and the Netherlands the only two nations they failed to beat, but it was not enough to secure a top-two finish and defeat in the play-offs meant they were Euro 2004 winners. Will miss fifth major tournament in a row.
He stepped down as Greece boss after his contract expired just five days after the loss to Georgia, and under-21 coach Nikolaos Papadopoulos was given the interim role.
The 52-year-old will also oversee next week’s friendly against Malta, but he is first focused on leading Greece to their first win over Germany in the 10th. Galanolefki have previously drawn with the DFB-team three times, including a goalless stalemate at Euro 1980, but since then they have lost their last three encounters by an aggregate score of 10-4.
Team News
Germany boss Nagelsmann was able to call up Toni Kroos, Antonio Rudiger and Niklas Fulkrug and Nico Schlotterbeck who were absent against Ukraine after their involvement in last weekend’s Champions League final was granted extra time.
Germany vs Greece-Rudiger and Schlotterbeck are both in contention to return to the heart of defence, with Joshua Kimmich and Maximilian Mittelstadt or David Raum set to take up the full-back role.
Kroos, who is retiring after Euro 2024, could return to center-midfield to start alongside captain Ilkay Gundogan, while Robert Andric, Pascal Gross and Aleksandar Pavlovic battle it out for the rest of midfield.
Fulkrug is Germany’s top scorer in the Nagelsmann era with four goals in six games and could replace Kai Havertz as central striker, while Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz and Leroy Sane are among the attackers hoping to feature in the starting XI.
For Greece, 36-year-old defender Giorgos Zavelas has retired from international football, while Liverpool left-back Kostas Simikas and former Sheffield United right-back George Baldock – who both played against Georgia in March – are notable absentees from the senior squad. .
Germany vs Greece-while Norwich City’s Dimitris Gianolis could replace Simikas on the left of the back four.
After winning the Europa Conference League with Olympiakos last month, Giorgos Massouras is in contention to start in attack and Fortuna Dusseldorf’s Christos Tzoulis and Panathinaikos’ Fotis Ioannidis could join the starting XI.
Germany vs Greece lineup:
Germany probable starting lineup:
Neuer; Kimmich, Tah, Rudiger, Mittelstadt; Kruse, Andrich; Musiala, Gundogan, Wirtz; Fulkrug
Greece probable starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Saliakas, Chatzidiakos, Mavropanos, Gianolis; Bakesetas, Kourbelis, Mantalos; Massouras, Ioannidis, Jolis
Prediction: Germany 2-0 Greece
After failing to find the net on Monday, Germany will be keen to regain their groove in the final third in their final match before Euro 2024 kicks off. Germany vs Greece-Boasting a full squad, Nagelsmann may be tempted to tinker with his selection in a few positions, but the lineup he chooses should be strong enough to come out on top against Greece who have lost three of their last four away matches and failed to score.