Although it was billed as one of the blockbuster friendlies, France vs. Germany was overshadowed by some unfortunate events off the pitch. As les Bleus and die Mannschaft faced off in France's capital, some horrific criminal acts were being perpetuated by terrorists across the iconic city, which, as per recent reports, have been attributed to Islamic organization ISIS after they took responsibility for the killings of over 120 people and injuring dozens more.
Germany
Before the match against France this past Friday, the reigning World Cup champions were given an awful scare after they had to leave their hotel due to a bomb threat and following the game, had to remain at the Stade de France for their saftey before departing for Germany earlier today following a 2-0 loss to Didier Deschamps's side. As such, there has not been an official confirmation as to whether they will take on the Netherlands in another highly-anticipated friendly clash this Tuesday, Noevember 17th.
As per the DFB, a decision was to be made today, on Sunday, November 15th as to whether the game versus the Oranje will take place as scheduled in Hanover. And now, despite the players still reeling from the shock of what happened in Paris off the pitch, the match is now set to be played as scheduled on Tuesday evening. German chancellor Angela Merkel is reportedly set to attend to offer support to the team, fans in attendance, and to send a clear signal that Europe will not be intimidated by terrorists.
Political statements aside, Joachim Low's side will have a totally different look to the one that featured in the Paris friendly. For starters, Manuel Neuer will sit this one out, as will Bastian Schweinsteiger, with both the Bayern Munich and Manchester United stars being given a rest. Another who will not play is striker Lukas Podolski, who will also be joined on the sidelines by Jerome Boateng. As such, with four key players - not including the already injured Mario Gotze and Marco Reus - not featuring, it will indeed be interesting to see what kind of line-up (and which remaining stars) Low opts to deploy for the fans who will be in attendance in a few days' time.
Netherlands
In the meantime, their opponents Netherlands recorded a hard-fought win over Wales in their recent friendly to restore a little bit of pride after shockingly failing to qualify for EURO 2016. When the groups were announced last year, the Netherlands were expected to easily book their ticket for France in a pack that included the Czech Republic, Iceland, Turkey, Latvia, and Kazakhstan. Surprisingly, however, they ended up finishing in fourth - a whopping nine behind group winners Czech Republic and nine behind third-placed Turkey.
It has not been an easy time for coach Danny Blind - father of Manchester United's Daley Blind - as Holland will be missing out on their first EURO tournament since the 1984 edition contested in France. However, there is little time for them to brood over this missed opportunity as a win over Germany would be a decent way to close out 2015 with an eye on World Cup 2018 qualifiers coming up next spring.
A notable absence for the visitors will be Robin van Persie, who, despite being his nation's all-time top-scorer, has found himself excluded since his embarrassing showing vs. the Czech Republic, which saw him score a terrible own goal in their disappointing 3-2 loss.
Prior to Tuesday's meeting, Germany and the Netherlands have faced off a total of 49 times, in which nine have been in actual competitive fixtures. The last competitive meetings between die Mannschaft and the Oranje was back during the 2012 EURO tournament, in which Germany defeated their upcoming visitors 2-1; and the last overall meeting concluded as a scoreless stalemate in a November 2012 friendly.
Ever since West Germany defeated the Netherlands in the 1974 World Cup final, the rivalry between these two footballing nations has intensified over the past four decades. Will Tuesday's friendly produce a win in favor of Germany or the Netherlands?
Make sure you don't miss out on what should be an interesting clash! And as usual, LiveSoccerTV.com's got you covered, so please bookmark our special Germany vs. Netherlands match page for viewing timse and options for your current location.
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