Germany vs. France: Time, Live Stream, TV Schedule and Odds
Germany welcome France to the Allianz Arena for their inaugural 2018-19 UEFA Nations League match on Thursday.
The two giants are in League A, where the eventual champions of the competition will come from. The past two World Cup winners are joined by the Netherlands in Group 1.
Further information about the competition is available on FIFA's official website.
TOP NEWS
Projecting Spain's World Cup Squad 🇪🇸
Keeper Punch Sparks Wild Brawl 😳
FIFA Reverses Tailgating Decision 🌭
Date: Thursday, Sept. 6
Time: 7:45 p.m. (BST), 2:45 p.m. (ET)
Odds: Germany win: 3-2, France win: 9-5, Draw: 23-10
TV: Sky Sports Mix, Sky Sports Football (UK), ESPN2 (U.S.)
Stream: Sky Go (UK), ESPN Player (U.S)
Odds according to OddsShark.
Preview
It was as recently as July when France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but international football is back with a bang under a fresh format.
The Nations League comprises four divisions that each contains groups of either three or four teams, with matches played across six matchdays.
The round-robin format will provide fans with ample competition in an effort to replicate the buzz of tournament football.
Promotion and relegation is another feature, with the competition removing the former need for international friendlies.
Thursday's game marks Germany's return to action after a hugely disappointing display at the FIFA World Cup. It also gives them an opportunity to lay a glove on the chin of the new No. 1 team in the world.
Die Mannschaft fell an unprecedented 14 places in the latest FIFA world rankings, crashing to No. 15.
France went into Russia 2018 with high hopes, and their core of Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe found a new level to help deliver the nation's second World Cup. Supported by a wonderful cast, the troika delivered a consistency not seen by a France team for a generation.
Per Sky Sports, Les Bleus captain Hugo Lloris is set to miss the clash with the thigh injury that also saw him sit out Tottenham Hotspur's recent 2-1 defeat to Watford in the Premier League. Montpellier stopper Benjamin Lecomte has been called up as the Spurs No. 1's replacement.
German icon Lothar Matthaus has said the time is right for his nation to turn the screw on their highly talented side and has also asked manager Joachim Low to instigate change.
In his column for Sky Germany, the World Cup winner wrote (h/t Joe Wright of Goal): "I expect some clear messages from Jogi Low in the future. These can and will be unpleasant truths for some players. But just as Niko Kovac moderates things at Bayern Munich, so must Jogi Low. No rewards for past achievements. Stop the unquestioning loyalty."
Per the Bundesliga's website, Kai Havertz of Bayer Leverkusen could make his debut. Leroy Sane is also back in the fold after being surprisingly left out of Germany's World Cup squad after a superb season with Manchester City.
This should be considered a new start for Germany, but only time will tell whether Low is the man to take the team forward.
The failure in Russia showed a few too many members of the 2014 World Cup-winning side are still present in Low's plans, and the need for change could be extended to the coach if they do not perform well in the Nations League.
.jpg?w=480 "Bills Steelers Football")
