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Despite there being a veritable surfeit of mouth-watering fixtures thrown up by the vagaries of the system in the UEFA Euro 2020 pre-quarterfinals, the one match everyone looked ahead to was England vs Germany.
The storied history of the England-Germany football rivalry goes back ages and consists of numerous epic meetings at the grandest stage of the game. From exultation to agony, from brilliance to controversy, this match-up between two of the behemoths of the game has seen it all. Fans will be hoping their UEFA Euro 2020 Round-of-16 clash is no different.
England, Germany set to be a nervy ride for giants in UEFA Euro 2020 knockouts
To be honest, neither England nor Germany, who will take the field at Wembley on Tuesday, have been at their vintage best.
Gareth Southgate's men looked blunt in attack but solid at the back in their comfortable ride to the second round. Meanwhile, Germany endured a real roller-coaster of a ride in the group of death, where they were in serious danger of elimination before coming through.
With the round already engendering scintillating football and massive upsets in the form of World Champions and pre-tournament favourites France and deposed champions Portugal heading home, UEFA Euro 2020 is becoming anyone's game.
On paper, if one was not aware of the history of this fixture, one might actually earmark the Three Lions as the favourites in this UEFA Euro 2020 fixture based on ranking, home advantage and even results in the group stage.
But the form book is well and truly thrown out when Die Mannschaft take on familiar foes England, who have suffered many a heartbreak at their hands on the biggest stage since their 1966 FIFA World Cup final triumph. Germany might actually fancy their chances against England, based on history alone.
Either way, it promises to be a nerve-wracking experience for both sides. On that note, let's take a look at the five key matchups that might decide who goes through in this marquee UEFA Euro 2020 clash.
#5 Serge Gnabry (Germany) vs Harry Maguire (England)
Though Germany haven't found it tough scoring at Euro 2020 except for their blockbuster opener against France, they have not played an out-and-out forward in their starting line-up. The former champions have instead chose to play wide-forwards topped up by one central attacker in a diamond.
Serge Gnabry has done the job as a forward in all the games and is certain to start this one. A prolific attacker at club level, he is seen operating more on the inside channel for Germany than on the outside as he does for Bayern Munich.
Hence, though his traditional battle will be with the England left-back, he is likely to face off a fair few times with Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, who will start as the left-sided central defender for the Three Lions. That is unless Gareth Southgate reverts to a back-three for this UEFA Euro 2020 match-up, in which case Maguire will be even more in the battles with Gnabry.
Gnabry is a powerhouse of skills and pace but is yet to come into full bloom in the tournament. It will be intriguing to see how Maguire, himself a literal late starter at UEFA Euro 2020, having missed the start through injury, tackles the Bayern star.
#4 Jack Grealish (England) vs Joshua Kimmich (Germany)
This duel promises to be a mouth-watering battle. With Mason Mount set to miss out on playmaking duties due to COVID-19 quarantine-related issues, fan favourite Jack Grealish is set to be deployed down England's left wing.
He has already shown glimpses of his brilliance with a characteristic cross-assist in England's win over the Czech Republic but might have much more on his plate in this game.
Meanwhile, Joshua Kimmich is one of the most versatile players operating at the elite level right now. A proficient midfielder, Kimmich is equally adept at right-back, and with the presence of Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gundogan in the German midfield, will begin this one as a right wing-back. Kimmich will not only be tasked with moving play up the field as part of raids down the wings but also keep Grealish in check.
Kimmich has already racked up two assists to his name in UEFA Euro 2020 and has recovered eight balls, showing his prowess at both ends of the pitch. Meanwhile, Grealish will be central to England's creative plans as well, so this will be a key battle to determine who controls this vital UEFA Euro 2020 game.
#3 Toni Kroos (Germany) vs Declan Rice (England)
Midfield maestro Toni Kroos will again pull the strings in midfield for Germany in this UEFA Euro 2020 clash. He will look to unleash Robin Gosens or Joshua Kimmich down the wings with his telegraphed balls or go through the centre to find Thomas Muller or the impressive Kai Havertz.
The 31-year-old has again amassed a 90%-plus pass percentage despite this not being a vintage German team. So stopping Kroos' deliveries and forward runs will be crucial to Southgate's plans.
The England coach has been criticised a bit for deploying a too defensive-minded midfield. But he will need West Ham's Declan Rice and even Leeds' Kalvin Phillips to break up Germany's rhythm in midfield as Die Mannschaft try to pile up ball possession and strike through blitzkriegs.
Rice has been omnipresent in England's midfield at Euro 2020, sitting deep and soaking up pressure while also acting as a launchpad for England's attacks. He is a neat but conservative passer, with a similar success rate to Kroos but hardly his attacking verve. He has, however, succeeded in his main task, having put in five tackles and recovered ten balls in the three Euro 2020 group games thus far.
#2 Kai Havertz (Germany) vs Kyle Walker (England)
Kai Havertz seems to have brought his Champions League final form into Euro 2020. He has been one of Germany's most impressive attackers during the group stage. Havertz has scored two goals at Euro 2020 while operating as a left forward between the lines and has been consistently taking up great positions off the ball.
Kyle Walker and John Stones will both be tasked with stopping Haverz down England's right as the Chelsea man twists and turns down both the inside and outside of the English defenders.
But I have picked Walker as Havertz's main adversary simply because the experienced City defender will also be marauding forward while Stones is likely to sit in. So Havertz will try to fill up the vacant spaces left by an overlapping Walker, especially with Germany's proclivity for the left wing.
Kyle Walker has overtaken other members of the England squad's collection of right-backs to become the starter at Euro 2020. He has looked assured on the ball, having made quite a few recoveries and clearances. He is yet to, strangely, make a single tackle, something he might have to do against Germany mandatorily.
#1 Harry Kane (England) vs Mats Hummels (Germany)
The safe bet would have been to choose Raheem Sterling as England's number one attacking threat, as he has, after all, netted both England's goals at Euro 2020 thus far. But then there is the curious case of England captain Harry Kane, one of the game's leading forwards, who has seemed strangely off the pace in the three group games in the tournament.
Nevertheless, Kane is not just a proven goalscorer but a master at leading the line. He links up with fellow forwards, opens up defences with link-ups and through balls, and most importantly, scores important goals on a consistent basis.
He has looked a frail shadow of that player at UEFA Euro 2020. So he will be desperate to overcome the group-stage jitters and become the one that makes the difference in this crucial game against Germany.
Mats Hummels, Germany's World Cup-winning centre-back who has been brought back to the squad by Joachim Low because of his years of experience and guile, will ensure Kane has no say in the game if he has his way.
Hummels did score an own goal in Germany's Euro 2020 opener but showed his class in tracking Kylian Mbappe proficiently in the same game. He is a master central defender with a penchant for strong marking. He is surely going to keep a close eye on Harry Kane in this blockbuster UEFA Euro 2020 Round-of-16 game in London tonight.
