Germany vs Ukraine

Germany and Ukraine embark on their warm-up campaign ahead of the upcoming European Championship, facing each other in a friendly at the Max-Morlock-Stadion.

Kicking off their final preparations for Euro 2024 on a positive note might be crucial for Germany as they bid to become the first team since France in 1984 to win the tournament as a host nation. Julian Nagelsmann’s men are among the favorites to dethrone reigning champions Italy this summer, especially after beating the Netherlands and France in their last two friendlies. Seeking a third consecutive triumph since a run of seven in November 2021, ‘Die Mannschaft’ meet Ukraine, a side they’ve not lost to across their previous nine H2Hs (W5, D4). However, a goal-glutted 3-3 draw last June forms part of Germany’s disappointing record of only five victories across 13 internationals since suffering an embarrassing group-stage exit at the 2022 World Cup (D2, L6).

Meanwhile, Ukraine went above and beyond in the playoffs to secure their fourth successive European Championships appearance, overcoming a 1-0 deficit in both playoff ties against Iceland and Bosnia to give a war-devastated nation something to cheer about. Whether they could replicate their record-breaking run to the quarter-finals three years ago remains to be seen, yet a five-game unbeaten streak makes for good reading (W4, D1). By contrast, Serhiy Rebrov’s men have stuttered in their recent non-competitive games on the road, picking up just one win across their last eight away friendlies (D2, L5). Since that solitary success came against Albania in June 2018, Ukraine can’t realistically hope to post their first-ever win against the Germans.