Germany get their Euro 2016 campaign underway on Sunday night as they take on Ukraine hoping to start off with a victory.
Joachim Low’s men were victorious in Brazil two years ago, and they will undoubtedly harbour ambitions of adding the European crown to their World Cup triumph this summer.
There are changes to the squad though with some veterans retiring which had led to some key changes, but they are still highly fancied by many to be in contention at the business end of the tournament.
Nevertheless, there’s no hiding that they weren’t entirely convincing in qualification, and Ukraine will be looking to take full advantage of their vulnerabilities with their pace out on the wings with Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konoplyanka likely to be threats.
The two sides have met on five previous occasions, with Germany winning two and picking up three draws, while their last two meetings have produced 11 goals, seven going to the Germans.
However, this is the first time that their paths have crossed at a major tournament, but it’s unlikely to be a dull affair with both sides looking to secure a positive start in their bid to advance to the knockout stage.
Predicted Line-Ups:
Germany: Neuer; Höwedes, Mustafi, Boateng, Hector; Kroos, Khedira; Müller, Özil, Draxler; Gomez.
Ukraine: Pyatov; Fedetskiy, Khacheridi, Rakitskiy, Shevchuk; Stepanenko, Sydorchuk, Garmash; Yarmolenko, Konoplyanka; Zozulya.
Prediction: Germany 2-0 Ukraine. There are question marks over the World champions despite the fact that they are considered one of the favourites. They’ll have some tricky moments in this game, but expect them to deliver when it matters.