Gareth Southgate is set to go back to the future and revert to a three-man defence for England’s European Championships last-16 tie against Germany at Wembley tonight.
England manager Southgate has told his players they can create an iconic moment in the country’s football history that “lives forever” by beating the Germans on home soil and winning a knockout game in the Euros for only the second time to reach the quarter-finals.
England are yet to concede a goal in the tournament, but, barring a late change of heart, manager Southgate wants to match up the Germans and play with a similar formation to the one his team beat Belgium with in October last year and reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup with.
England will line up against Joachim Löw’s Germany in front of around 40,000 spectators at Wembley for a fixture full of drama and steeped in history.
From the Geoff Hurst hat-trick in England’s 1966 World Cup final victory to the Gerd Muller strike which ended their reign four years later and the Frank Lampard goal-that-never-was in South Africa in 2010, this fixture has rarely been uneventful – as Gareth Southgate knows only too well. The England manager had his penalty saved in the shootout against Germany at Wembley which ended England’s Euro 96 dreams at the semi-final stage. Revenge would be sweet.
What time does England vs Germany kick-off tonight?
The England vs Germany last-16 match kicks off tonight at 5pm BST.
What TV channel is England vs Germany on?
BBC1 from 4.30pm, and on iPlayer. Alternatively, you can bookmark this page and return to follow all the action with our live blog.
Latest England and Germany team news
England may have qualified for the last 16 but their plans were thrown into chaos after the positive Covid-19 test for Scotland’s Billy Gilmour on Monday. Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell were forced to self-isolate over a potential breach of coronavirus protocols that involved chatting to the Scotland midfielder in the Wembley tunnel.
The FA has confirmed Mount and Chilwell will have to isolate until June 28, so while they might be available for England’s last-16 tie it seems unlikely that they will start, as they would not be able to prepare for the game at all with their team-mates or work on any tactics or team shape.
Jordan Henderson and Harry Maguire both took to the field against Czech Republic and will have had another week of training under their belts before the knockout rounds get underway. Maguire should start against the Germans and given the game will likely be won in midfield, Gareth Southgate may opt to start Jordan Henderson in a three.
The other major talking point will be how Southgate fits Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka into his XI.
Pick your England team to face Germany
England vs Germany results history
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England wins: 13
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Draws: 4
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Germany wins: 15
England’s most recent victory over Germany came in a friendly in 2016, winning 3-2 in a thrilling match having been 2-0 down, with goals from Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and a 90th-minute Eric Dier header. Their last competitive win over the Germans came in 2001 when Michael Owen scored a hat-trick in a 5-1 thrashing in World Cup qualifying.
What are our writers saying?
England vs Germany odds
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England to win 8/5
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Germany to win 2/1
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Draw 23/10
England vs Germany prediction
Despite Germany’s hit-and-miss start to the tournament, coach Joachim Low’s upbeat demeanour is understandable – it generally has not gone well for England in previous meetings.
However, while history may not be on England’s side, you could argue current form is. Yes, the Germans put four past Portugal in thrilling fashion, but shipped five goals during the group stages – and England are yet to concede this summer.
Verdict: England 2 Germany 1.
England vs Germany predictions for Euro 2020 knockout match: Who are people picking?