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Spain and Germany lock horns later tonight at the Estadio De La Cartuja in Seville, in a winner-takes-all contest. Technically a draw would take the visitors to an unassailable 10 points, which means an entry into the final four of the UEFA Nations League.
But based on past experiences, Joachim Low certainly wouldn't take any chances against a Spanish side who are out to prove a point. Spain squandered an opportunity of going to the top of the group on Saturday night, courtesy of an eventful 1-1 draw against the Swiss in Basel.
The two teams have played each other 24 times, with Germany winning 9 of the contests compared to Spain's 7 and 8. The reverse fixture in September had hardly anything separating the two sides, as a 1-1 draw was played out at Stuttgart.
Without further ado, let us take a look at the 5 key players who could make a difference in tonight's blockbuster Spain vs Germany encounter
#5 Ferran Torres (Spain)
22-year old Ferran Torres has taken to Pep Guardiola's style of play like a fish to water and has been touted as one of the steals of the summer transfer window. Comfortable on either flank, the winger is steadily making himself a name with La Roja too.
Rodrigo and Marco Asensio are being overlooked while Adama Traore still finding his feet in International football. With Germany having problems in the left-back position, a better opportunity could not have come knocking for the former Valencia man to cement his place as the first-choice right-winger heading into the Euros.
#4 Leroy Sané (Germany)
Another one of Pep's proteges, Sane recently made the move back to his home country after spending four seasons in England. Currently on Champions League winners Bayern Munich's roster, Sane hasn't yet set the stage on fire with the Bavarians. A couple of injuries didn't help his case either, but now the slick and speedy winger is fit and raring to go.
A goal against Ukraine in the last game would mean Joachim Low is more or less expected to persist with the 24-year old. And with Marco Reus and Kai Havertz currently out of action, here is Sane's chance to shine and make amends for the 2018 World Cup debacle.
#3 Sergio Regulion (Spain)
Having won the Europa League with Sevilla, Reguilon made a high-profile switch to Tottenham and swiftly adjusted to Jose Mourinho's way of playing. The last few months have certainly been eventful for the 23-year old.
Now, Spain coach Luis Enrique is also on the cusp of making the Real Madrid academy graduate his first-choice Left-Back.
With veteran Jordi Alba not even making the squad, Jose Gaya doubtful due to injury and Juan Bernat not making the cut either, Spurs' new fan-favourite now has the opportunity of a lifetime to show his worth in a crunch game and extend his purple patch.
#2 Timo Werner (Germany)
The brace against Ukraine in their previous game meant that Timo Werner had found the net for the 6th time in 17 days. In short, the Chelsea forward is in red-hot form. Having made the switch to Stamford Bridge this summer, Werner's agility, speed and finishing acumen are an X-Factor for both club and country.
La Roja's defenders have quite the challenge on their hands with Werner, who likes drifting leftwards, and Serge Gnabry, who does the same to the right. With his Chelsea teammate Kai Havertz currently in isolation after testing positive for the virus, much of the onus of scoring goals will be on the 24-year old ace marksman, who more often than not delivers the goods.
#1 Sergio Ramos (Spain)
Sergio Ramos is always in the news. Nothing new about that. The Real Madrid and Spain skipper is now the most capped male European player after breaking Italian stalwart Gianluigi Buffon's record on Saturday against Switzerland. Ironically, he missed twice from the spot in Basel that night, which in hindsight, did cost his team the game.
But as all great players do, the four-time Champions League winner would certainly be eager to bounce back against the Germans, come Tuesday night. With a lot of talk floating around of a potential Real Madrid exit, along with the inability of the Spain think-tank to find the perfect centre-back pairing, a lot of pressure is on the 34-year old to bring out his A-game in a must-win match.
But the passionate and strong-willed Ramos we all know isn't one to back out of any challenge. He has boldly stated that he isn't going to shy away from spot-kick duties after one terrible outing. Heck, he's even ready to play the Euros and the Olympics for La Roja in June 2021. Talk about commitment!
