Our prediction for this match:
Following a goalless draw with Ukraine, Germany will be aiming to return to winning ways when they face Greece in yet another pre-EURO game. The Germans failed to turn their dominance into goals in Monday’s clash and, as a result, Julian Nagelsmann should make changes to the starting XI. Experienced forward Thomas Muller is pushing for a start, as well as Bayern Munich rising star Aleksandar Pavlovic.
The Greeks, on the other hand, missed out on a spot at the EURO 2024 finals as they were beaten by Georgia on penalties in the decider. As Greece new boss Nikolaos Papadopoulos should use Friday’s friendly to test as many players as possible, home win should definitely be considered. Vangelis Pavlidis (AZ Alkmaar), Tasos Bakasetas (Panathinaikos), and Giorgos Masouras are the most notable names in the away team as Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas has been omitted.
Highlighted Player (Leroy Sane):
Leroy Sane began his senior career at Schalke 04. The pacey winger, who is capable of playing as attacking midfielder as well, made his debut for die Knappen on 20 April, 2014 against Stuttgart. Sane came as a substitute in the second half of the match, replacing Max Mayer 13 minutes before the final whistle.
He scored 11 goals in 47 league appearances for Schalke and on 2 August, 2016 he signed a deal with big-spending Premier League side Manchester City. The former Schalke footballer joined the Citizens on a five-year deal for a fee of £37 million. Sane was born in Essen on 11 January, 1996, but his father is Senegalese.
Souleymane Sane used to play for the Senegalese national football team in the past, while his mother Regina Weber was a rhythmic gymnast. Speaking of his international career, Leroy Sane has 6 caps for Germany U21 and he made his debut for the senior team on 13 November, 2015 in a 2-0 loss to France.
Highlighted Team (Greece):
Former European champions Greece played their first official match on April 7, 1929, with the team suffering a heavy 4-1 loss to Italy in Athens. The Greeks booked their place at the FIFA World Cup finals in 1994 for the first time ever, but they failed to impress at the showpiece tournament in United States of America.
The Galanolefki were eliminated in the group stages of the 2010 FIFA World Cup as well, but they made it to the knockout stages of the tournament in Brazil four years later. However, the Greeks were more than unfortunate not to book their place in the quarter-finals as they were beaten by Costa Rica on penalties. However, Greece did remarkably well to win the 2004 European Championship and that is considered the national team’s biggest success.
Otto Rehhagel outplayed the likes of France and Czech Republic in the knockout stages to set up a meeting with hosts Portugal in the title game. Thanks to Angelos Charisteas’ goal 12 minutes into the second half Greece won the European Championship.