Germany vs. Gibraltar: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
Joachim Low could hardly have asked for an easier fixture to get his Germany side out of their current mini-slump than Friday's Euro 2016 qualifier against Gibraltar.
The world champions currently sit third in Group D after last month's draw with the Republic of Ireland and loss to Poland, but they should certainly get back to winning ways this weekend.
Gibraltar have conceded 17 goals without reply in three losses in their qualifying campaign so far and will likely be overwhelmed in the Grundig-Stadion in Nuremberg.
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Read on for all the scheduling, television and live streaming information ahead of what is likely to be a very one-sided encounter.
Date: Friday, Nov. 14
Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT, 2:45 p.m. ET
TV Info: Sky Sports (UK, red button), Fox Sports 2 (US)
Live Stream: Sky Go, Fox Soccer 2Go
Preview
Friday's match against Gibraltar signals Germany's final competitive outing in a glorious 2014 which saw them claim football's biggest prize in Brazil in the summer.
The Poland and Republic of Ireland results have suggested something of a hangover from the World Cup, and general manager Oliver Bierhoff is eager to see a response, per the German national team's Twitter feed:
Indeed, Low will no doubt be looking for a response from his players, and a win is necessary as Germany aim to top their qualifying group.
Furthermore, Gibraltar offers Germany a good opportunity to boost their goal difference—currently sitting at minus-one—which could be a key element when deciding the eventual group standings.
Thus Germany need to be ruthless, and they have the in-form Thomas Muller to call upon, the Bayern Munich star having claimed a hat-trick in his last Bundesliga outing against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
However, Marco Reus will not be available having picked up an ankle injury, his international woes continuing after fitness issues ruled him out of the World Cup, per Bundesliga writer Cristian Nyari:
Cologne left-back Jonas Hector has received his first international call-up for the Gibraltar game, well-deserved according to FourFourTwo's Alex Chaffer, who also provides the rest of the squad:
Low's side take on Spain in a friendly on Tuesday, a higher-profile but much less important game than the Gibraltar match, which must result in a convincing home win to get Germany's Euro 2016 qualification campaign back on track.
The visitors are surely well aware that they are likely to be be on the end of another thrashing on Friday, Gibraltar being in the unenviable position of taking on a German side looking to rebound from a poor run of form.
The two sides have never met before, with this being Gibraltar's first qualifying campaign as a fully fledged UEFA member, but it offers the visitors a a huge opportunity to play the best in the business.
They lost their opening two qualifiers 7-0 to Poland and the Republic of Ireland, but a 3-0 defeat in their most recent match against Georgia gave coach Allen Bula cause for optimism, per Sky Sports:
"We conceded three goals but we had chances. The nerves and tension from the first two matches seemed to have gone. This game shows that if we understand these players and if we get more support, things will get better. It gives us some hope the we can put in good performances against the world champions.
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Preston North End's Scott Wiseman will be key in organising the defence, who will come under constant bombardment on Friday, while the three Casciaro brothers—Kyle, Ryan and Lee—will likely all line up alongside each other once again.
Lee Casciaro will almost certainly play as the lone striker and serve off scraps with Bula likely to pack the midfield; the aim will not be to win but to show themselves off while facing the world's best.
Germany will be looking for a convincing performance in their last competitive match of the year to get their qualification campaign back on track ahead of the next round of matches in March, and a big victory to nil is the inevitable outcome.
