France vs Germany: Why Les Bleus will fancy their chances on German soil

France vs Germany: Why Les Bleus will fancy their chances on German soil - June 15, 2021

Topics: TV Schedules, France, Germany, UEFA EURO 2020

A mouth-watering clash awaits as European giants France and Germany lock horns on matchday one of the Euro 2020 tournament on Tuesday, June 15th.

Preview: France vs Germany

It's set to be a titanic clash as two World Cup winners will come head to head in a mouth-watering tie on June 15th. France, who come into this match as the current World Cup winners after winning the coveted prize in 2018, will be traveling to face Germany, who won it in 2014. For Les Bleus, they will be determined to make amends following their loss to Portugal in the 2016 Euro tournament, during which they played hosts but ended up losing 1-0 in the final. And for Germany, this will present Joachim Low's last chance at adding another trophy to his cabinet before handing over the reins to Hansi Flick.

In addition, Germany, having fallen from grace in recent years, will be hoping to use the Euro 2020 competition to silence their growing number of critics. Although die Mannschaft are the joint-most successful team in this competition, with three titles so far, they are not viewed by many observers as favorites to win the title. That's because, since winning the World Cup in 2014, Germany have underwhelmed and not performed at the standards expected of a side who are regarded as among not just Europe's elite, but a giant of world football.

A shock loss to lowly North Macedonia was arguably the nadir for Germany in recent times, and that's not to mention their 6-0 humiliation at the hands of fellow elite side Spain. To that end, die Mannschaft will be also looking to show the world that those dark days are firmly behind them - although they'll be welcoming an opponent who have been in sparkling form over the past few years.

France, by contrast, have gone from strength to strength since their Euro 2016 heartbreak. In addition to, of course, winning the World Cup three summers ago, Les Bleus have been largely flawless. There have been some slight hiccups, including a surprise 2-0 friendly loss to Finland last year, but other from that, Deschamps's side have been without reproach. They come into this game having cruised to comfortable wins in their friendlies with Wales and Bulgaria, and notably, are unbeaten in their last five matches against Germany in Germany.

Germany, meanwhile, are unbeaten in all of their Euro openers, with a record of seven wins and five draws. France have lost just one of their Euro opening ties, which was back in 1960 when Les Bleus were shockingly beaten by Yugoslavia. Since then, they've gone eight unbeaten. In short, it's set to be a very unique clash, as the two teams are familiar foes but have never met in a group stage encounter.

That is, until this Tuesday. And Germany will have a bit more incentive to get one over on their rivals, as France ended their Euro dreams five years ago, courtesy of a brace from Antoine Griezmann. What new story lines and subplots will we see unfold in Tuesday's mammoth match-up?

Team news: France vs Germany

France: Deschamps has been given a huge boost as Antoine Griezmann, Raphael Varane, and Karim Benzema have all shaken off various knocks and should be fit to feature in the starting XI. However, Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma is struggling with a knock and is a major doubt for this game.

Germany: Bayern's Leon Goretzka looks set to miss out due to a muscular issue, while Jonas Hoffman is a definite absentee due to a knee problem.

Match facts: France vs Germany

France have only lost once in their UEFA Euro opening game; that was in 1960 when Les Bleus suffered a shock reversal against Yugoslavia during the first ever championship
Since then, France's record is (W5 D3)
Germany have never lost their opening game in the tournament (W7 D5)
This is France's 10th Euro championship
Meanwhile, Germany are featuring in the Euro tournament for the 13th time
Germany have won three Euro titles so far; France, two
Les Bleus are unbeaten in their last five games against die Mannschaft in Germany (W3 D2)
France and Germany will be meeting for the sixth time at a major international tournament...
...but this will be their first group stage encounter
Head to head between France and Germany: W2 D1 L2