As the reigning World Cup champions, Germany have now turned their attention to knocking Spain off their perch as European champions. La Furia Roja have won the past two Euro championships, but now will have a whole host of teams, including Germany, who will be eager to make sure they do not make it a third consecutive one in France this summer.
For Joachim Löw's side, who were painfully close to reaching the final back in 2012, only to be edged out by Italy in the semi-finals, this time around, they must get things right. And they will begin their preparations for the group stage and beyond with a friendly warm-up match against Slovakia at the WWK Arena on Sunday evening.
Germany
Germany will be coming into this match having won their last friendly from back in March. It was especially significant as they thrashed Italy 4-1, thus ending a decades long spell of frustrating results against the Azzurri. Furthermore, it was encouraging to the team's fans, especially as the side had suffered a 3-2 reversal against England just a few days before.
However, the team that will be featuring on Sunday will be very different from the one that Löw used against the Italians or the Three Lions. For starters, neither Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer nor Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be between the sticks. Instead, the third-choice shot-stopper, Bayer Leverkusen's Bernd Leno will reportedly be given the chance to earn his first cap at senior level. Another absentee for Sunday's hosts will be Mats Hummels, who is still recovering from a calf muscle injury suffered during the DFB-Pokal final earlier this month.
As is the case in any friendly, this match will also likely see some younger and fringe players given a chance to feature as Löw makes his final selections as to who he would like to use in his starting XI for the upcoming Euro tournament. In terms of head to head record, Germany, not surprisingly, enjoy a historical advantage over upcoming opponents Slovakia. The two sides have met nine times before, with die Mannschaft only losing twice, whilst winning the other seven.
However, one does not have to go too far back to note the last time Germany suffered a loss to Slovakia: on September 3, 2005, they were shocked in a friendly match in Slovakia's capital city of Bratislava when they were defeated 2-0.
Slovakia
Indeed, despite being ranked at 32nd versus Germany's 5th, Slovakia have shown to be a team that can mix it up with the biggest sides in Europe. Nicknamed the Repre, they qualified for their first World Cup in 2010, and beat then-reigning champions Italy en route to booking their spot in the round of 16. Although they were knocked out by the Netherlands, it was nonetheless an impressive performance from the debutants.
Slovakia were also quite excellent in their qualification rounds for this summer's Euro tournament. Despite ultimately finishing in second place behind Spain, Ján Kozák's men started off very well, with six straight wins - including an impressive 2-1 won over La Furia Roja - that saw them initially race to the top of the table. Napoli star Marek Hamšík finished as one of the group's top goalscorers with five goals and Slovakia will now be taking part in their first ever Euro tournament since becoming an independent nation.
With tough teams like England and Wales for company in their quartet at Euro 2016, Slovakia will be keen on testing their mettle against one of the big heavyweights of Europe. Still, as we all know, they are no strangers to pulling off surprise results. Will they be able to spring yet another upset in Germany this Sunday?
Which channel is broadcasting Germany vs Slovakia on TV or Online?
Not able to make it over to the WWK Arena? No problem. LiveSoccerTV.com has put together plenty of choices to tune in via TV, computer, phone, or tablet.
Here are some options for fans residing in the following countries:
- In the USA at 11.45 EST on: WATCH ESPN, ESPN3 USA
- In Germany at 17.45 CET on: ARD Das Erste
- In the UK at 16.45 BST on: BT Sport Live Streaming, BT Sport 2
Live elsewhere? Check out our special Germany vs Slovakia broadcast page for viewing times and options for your current location.
*Note: Live broadcast data is subject to change*
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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