Prediction: Spain win
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Now that we have the full line-up of 24 countries that will take part in next year s UEFA Euro 2021 tournament, it s time to turn our attention back to the UEFA Nations League. This competition, which is still in its infancy, proved last night why it can serve as such a valuable tool for teams that are looking for an alternate route into a major international tournament. Today, we re going to take a look at what should be an exciting UNL clash between two nations that won their Euro 2021 qualifying group Spain and Germany.
Spain
Going from three consecutive triumphs at Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 to not winning any silverware for almost a decade must be tough. Still, there are nations in far worse positions than Spain, and the good thing about their squad is that they always seem to be one or two players away from challenging. They aren t viewed as the favourites heading into UEFA Euro 2021 next year, but you can bet they ll love flying under the radar again.
Team News
Gaya, Busquets, Fati and Navas are all out through injury for this one, with many still questioning whether or not de Gea will be able to work his way back into the starting XI.
Germany
The embarrassment of what happened in Russia two years ago hasn t gone away for the German national team, and if they want to try and get back to the heights of 2014, they need to start thinking differently. They were once considered to be the most feared nation in world football but they ve taken more than a few steps back across the last six years, although one thing that does finally seem to be changing is their ability to excite fans with strong attacking play.
Team News
Kroos is back from suspension but Rudiger will now miss out with a one-game ban of his own. Elsewhere there are plenty of injury problems that the Germans need to deal with as the following players have been ruled out: Gosens, Kimmich, Hofmann, Schulz, Halstenberg, Baku and Kehrer.
Factors to Consider
In their last meeting in September, Germany and Spain drew 1-1.
Spain have won two, drawn three and lost one of their last six games.
Germany have won three and drawn three of their last six games.
Spain have scored seven goals and conceded three in their last six games.
Germany have scored 13 goals and conceded nine in their last six games.
Conclusion
There s a methodical style to Spain s play that Germany haven t been able to solve for well over a decade now, failing to best them in any kind of competitive environment. We strongly expect that ll be the case once again with the Spaniards outsmarting the Germans to register a 1-0 win. It may not be the most exciting of games you ll ever see, but it will reaffirm that Spain are starting to piece together everything they need to really thrive in the next generation of international football.
Prediction: Spain win
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