Spain stood in the way of everything. Spain stood in the way of domination. Spain stood in the way of dreams. Spain stood in the way of a European Championship trophy. Spain stood in the way of a World Cup Final in South Africa. But Spain had long gone home when Germany stood atop the World in July 2014. Suddenly, Spain turned around and looked up at Germany.
The Germans will travel to Spain as World Champions. However, the World Champions are currently not being able to replicate their form on the world stage. A transition, not unlike that of Spain's is the cause. The old guard of Philipp Lahm, Miroslav Klose and Per Mertesacker are no longer there. Bastian Schweinsteiger's presence is definitely not guaranteed due to his poor track record concerning injuries in the past few years. Sami Khedira only recently returned from injury. Khedira played a part in Germany's 4-0 victory over Gibraltar, a win which did not exactly please the fans present in Nürnberg that day to say the least. More is expected from the Champions.
Joachim Löw has the chance to experiment in this match considering it is a friendly, although it is a friendly of a different kind. Pride is at stake of course. Löw will have to do without his stand-in captain, Manuel Neuer. Neuer was sent home to Bavaria as a precaution due to a knee problem. Christoph Kramer is not in the squad due to injury problems too. However, it is not defensive midfield which will worry the Germany coach most. It is perhaps the left and right wing spots in defense which will cause him the most headaches. Following Lahm's retirement, Löw has not found a permanent replacement for either spot yet.
Spain meanwhile beat Belarus in their Euro 2016 qualifying match. They have not been at their best in the qualifiers, not unlike Germany. The match against Germany can provide a confidence boost to move forward though. Vicente Del Bosque is surely going to take this chance to experiment too. Whether he goes with the same approach which stifled Germany previously is questionable.
Who will win this prestigious friendly?
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