Germany V Serbia: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream & TV Info
The U21 European Championships kick off on Wednesday, with Germany vs. Serbia following the Czech Republic vs. Denmark opener in Prague.
Serbia enter the competition as underdogs due to a large number of their star players pulling out of the competition, while their opposite number have an embarrassment of riches to choose from and could feasibly field two XIs capable of challenging for the crown.
The Details
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Group A
Venue: Stadion Letna, Prague
Date: June 17, 2015
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST
TV & Live Stream: BT Sport 1 & HD (UK) / UEFA.tv live stream
Germany Preview
There are many sides in this competition who are unsettled because of squad withdrawals or blocked call-ups, but Germany's "issues" are borne of an entirely different sort. Horst Hrubesch has selection issues because he probably can't decide how to separate his incredible 23-man party into a first XI and a bench.
A 4-2-3-1 formation is expected after it worked so well in key games this past year; it reached its zenith in terms of effectiveness in the 5-0 aggregate demolition of Ukraine in qualifying for the finals.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen will play in goal, Max Meyer should line up in the attacking three and Emre Can will be asked to anchor the midfield. Whether Philipp Hofmann starts up front, or Kevin Volland takes the mantle to allow Johannes Geis into the midfield, is a question we can only answer when the lineups are released.
How careful will Hrubesch be? How careful does he need to be?
Serbia Preview
Serbia, on paper, are a far weaker side than Germany, but Mladen Dodic will ask his players to play with their typical national spirit and hope for an upset to occur.
"We are fully aware of who we will be up against, and we're ready for a big game," playmaker Filip Djuricic told UEFA.com on Monday. Between compliments for Die Mannschaft, he tipped them as a favourites to lift the trophy.
Serbia have lost Filip Kostic after Stuttgart banned him from joining the U21 setup, so it looks as though Luka Milunovic will fill in. Milos Jojic and Djuricic are the sparks—they'll be asked to shoulder an awful lot in the middle and final thirds—while Aleksandar Pesic will play as the lone striker.
It's a 4-2-3-1 from Dodic's team too, but a more careful and cautious one in comparison.
Where The Game Will Be Won
Germany have shown a tendency to build down the left-hand side, despite possessing talent all over the pitch, with Christian Gunter capable of pushing forward and linking play. Hofmann is the kind of striker who can create space for himself and others, and whichever winger Gunter is linking with, they tend to create clear-cut chances and swing balls into the box.
That spells trouble for Serbia's right, with Marko Petkovic sure to come under a lot of pressure. It could also drag Jojic back to help defend, pulling the Orlovi's biggest dribbling weapon into the wrong areas of the pitch.
Emre Can and his partner, be it Moritz Leitner (attacking) or Geis (defensive), should be able to shackle up Djuricic in the centre. If so, the Serbs will be devoid of options and reduced to a more hopeful, direct game.
For Dodic's men to have any chance here, they'll need to command the ball and play a proactive, not reactive, game of football. If the German tide builds steam, they'll be trapped up stream without a paddle.
Prediction
Serbia have lost too much star power to compete with a tournament favourite in Germany, and they'll be found wanting in the final third—just like the Czech Republic will sans Vaclav Kadlec and Matej Vydra.
It won't be full-throttle from Hrubesch's charges, but they've certainly got enough in the tank to make a winning start.
Germany 2-0 Serbia
