An international friendly between the last two World Cup winners takes place in Dusseldorf on Friday night, with 2010 champions Spain travelling to Germany to take on the reigning cup holders.
Both teams have been building momentum since Euro 2016, with neither side losing since their stage of elimination in the tournament. Joachim Low’s Germany side is well-settled, having been playing together for a number of years and this’ll be a good test to see whether there is adequate back-up for Manuel Neuer. The Bayern Munich goalkeeper hasn’t featured at all this season as he’s been blighted with injury. There are plenty of contenders for his spot though, with Bernd Leno, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Kevin Trapp all hoping to stake a claim for the starting jersey come Russia.
Vicente del Bosque retired after Euro 2016, with newcomer Julian Lopetegui replacing him. Like his predecessor though, he’s experienced good success so far, coming through a World Cup group stage ahead of Italy, which saw them qualify while the Azzurri missed out. The big news from their squad is the absence of Alvaro Morata, with Diego Costa called up in his stead. However, Marcos Alonso has received a first call-up following a tremendous two years for Chelsea.
Germany vs. Spain Predictions
On its own, this game is meaningless, but if there’s a winner, then they’ll be a huge boost of confidence for that team heading towards Russia. Germany are known to target tournament football, meaning that Spain might have a slight advantage for this particular game. It’ll be a fascinating friendly to watch.
Germany vs. Spain Betting Tips
- Germany to win: 7/5
- Draw: 23/10
- Spain to win: 19/10
- Leroy Sane to score anytime: 21/10
- Spain to keep a clean sheet: 5/2
Head to Head
- Germany come into this game on the back of two draws in friendly matches in November. 0-0 vs. England and 2-2 vs. France.
- On the other hand, Spain beat Costa Rica 5-0 before drawing to Russia 3-3.
- Germany are unbeaten since the defeat to France in the semi-finals of Euro 2016. The current streak stands at 21 games unbeaten with 16 wins and 5 draws.
- Spain’s last defeat came in the first knockout round of Euro 2016. They are unbeaten in 16 games with 12 wins and 4 draws.
- A late goal from Toni Kroos handed Germany a 1-0 win in their last meeting with Spain back in 2014. The win helped the Mannschaft to break the hoodoo, having lost their last three previous encounters with La Furia Orja.
- However, Germany have beaten Spain six times in their history, with Spain winning four, with two draws.
- The last three meetings between the two sides have all ended with a 1-0 scoreline.
Germany Team News
Manuel Neuer is still out injured and misses out on this Germany squad. He’s expected to return to action in time for Bayern’s Champions League tie for Sevilla. Marco Reus has also been left out, with manager Joachim Low that it was in the player’s best interest not to feature in these international friendlies.
Germany Squad: Bernd Leno, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp, Jerome Boateng, Matthias Ginter, Jonas Hector, Mats Hummels, Joshua Kimmich, Marvin Plattenhardt, Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Sule, Sami Khedira, Toni Kroos, Julian Brandt, Emre Can, Julian Draxler, Leon Goretzka, Ilkay Gundogan, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Sebastian Rudy, Leroy Sane, Lars Stindl, Timo Werner, Mario Gomez, Sandro Wagner
Spain Team News
The Chelsea trio of Cesc Fabregas, Alvaro Morata and Pedro all miss out on Julian Lopetegui’s Spanish squad, however there’s a first international call-up for Marcos Alonso. Diego Costa has also been recalled after missing out on the last squad. Juan Mata, Hector Bellerin and Sergi Roberto are also high-profile names missing from this Spanish squad.
Spain Squad: Kepa Arrizabalaga, David De Gea, Pepe Reina, Jordi Alba, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso, Dani Carvajal, Nacho Fernandez, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Alvaro Odriozola, Isco, Thiago Alcantara, David Silva, Andres Iniesta, Saul Niguez, Dani Parejo, Koke, Rodrigo Hernandez, Marco Asensio, Iago Aspas, Rodrigo, Diego Costa, Lucas Vasquez