France vs Germany

Parc Olympique Lyonnais sets the stage for a blockbuster friendly between France and Germany.

France enjoyed another near-perfect qualifying campaign, booking their tickets for Euro 2024 as Group B winners with a formidable record of seven wins from eight games (D1). Didier Deschamps’ men have gone from strength to strength since suffering a heartbreak in the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina, claiming an eye-catching eight victories from ten games (D1, L1). However, a 2-1 defeat in a friendly against Germany in September 2023 remains the only blemish on this high-flying run, reminding Les Bleus not to take anything for granted. Before that loss, France had been unbeaten in six consecutive encounters against the Germans (W4, D2), including a narrow 2-1 triumph in their most recent clash in their backyard.

Meanwhile, Germany will host the upcoming tournament, hoping to seize continental supremacy for the first time since 1996. But the reality looks bleak for Die Mannschaft, whose manager Julian Nagelsmann has gone winless in his three games in charge (D1, L2) since beating the United States on his touchline debut. Nagelsmann has reshuffled the deck for March’s friendlies against France and the Netherlands in a last-ditch attempt to resurrect Germany’s fortunes after they’ve only won three of their 11 internationals since an unceremonious 2022 World Cup exit (D2, L6). Defensive frailties have plagued the Germans on their recent travels, as they’ve conceded precisely twice in their last two outings on hostile territory (D1, L1).