A mouthwatering clash of the titans as two-time World Cup winners and twice European champions France take on four-time world champions and three-time European kings Germany on Tuesday in Munich.
France are also No 2 in the world rankings and although the Germans have slipped to 12th, they are still a force to be reckoned with.
With current European champions Portugal also in Pool F, avoiding defeat could prove decisive for both France and Germany in this aptly-named ‘group of death’.
What time does France vs Germany kick off?
The match will kick off at 8pm at the Football Arena Munich – also known as Allianz Arena.
What TV channel is it on – can I watch it live?
This game will be broadcast on ITV so you can watch on freeview or ITV Hub. The TV rights for the tournament are shared by BBC and ITV.
Latest Euros team news
France
Karim Benzema has recovered from a minor injury sustained in a friendly win over Bulgaria on Tuesday and is fit to start.
However, a brewing feud between the France strikers Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud has gone public, potentially threatening team unity before their opening match against the Germans.
It began on Tuesday after France’s 3-0 victory against Bulgaria when Giroud suggested he was not getting the service he deserved – considered by some to be a swipe at Mbappé.
Giroud scored two goals after coming on for Benzema, and several of his teammates ran towards him to celebrate his first one. But not Mbappé, who appeared to walk in the opposite direction.
“I was quiet because sometimes you make a run and the balls just don’t arrive,” Giroud told L’Équipe TV. “I don’t always pretend to make the right calls, but I have tried hard to give solutions in the area.”
Mbappé said Sunday he had been “a little affected” by the growing unrest caused by Giroud’s comments. “What he said does not bother me more than that,” Mbappé said. “He expresses a feeling when he speaks. I’m a forward and I’ve had that feeling 365 times in a game, when you feel like you’re not being served.
“It’s more about releasing it publicly. I saw him in the dressing room, I congratulated him on his goals, he didn’t say anything to me. I heard about it in the press. That’s more [important] than what he said – he didn’t say anything bad.”
Germany
Germany’s shock first-round exit at the 2018 World Cup triggered an overhaul of the team. But in his final tournament before stepping down after 15 years, Joachim Löw has recalled some of the players he had axed after the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic meant that the overhauled squad failed to get desired results.
With 2014 world champions Thomas Müller and Mats Hummels back in the squad after more than two years, Germany will be considered as the underdogs when their largely untested line-up face their powerful neighbours.
The Germans, who will have the support of up to 14,000 spectators in Munich, will most likely play a three-man back line with Hummels in the centre, while holding midfielders Robin Gosens and Joshua Kimmich add further safety.
What the Germans are unlikely to have is an out-and-out forward with Müller set to operate in that role and Serge Gnabry and Kai Havertz on either side.
France vs Germany best odds
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France – 7/4
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Germany – 19/10
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Draw – 9/4
View the latest Euro 2021 betting offers
What is our prediction?
If this game was on neutral territory, you’d back France to win all day long. But it’s not! It’s in Germany, and as mentioned earlier they will have the support of up to 14,000 spectators. That could really count in their favour.
Predicted score: France 2 Germany 2