We have to cast our minds back a generation to their very first encounter – a 3-3 draw in Berlin in 1930. 87 years later and England will once again make their way to Germany to reignite a rivalry that, over the years, has seen some of the most magical moments in The Three Lions international history.
Geoff Hurst’s infamous ‘goal’ on his way to a hat-trick in the controversial 1966 World Cup Final played at Wembley. The ball cannoned off the bar and the referee incorrectly deemed it to have crossed the line as England went on to lift their first and only ever World Cup trophy to date. Germany knocked them out in the semi-finals in 1990 on their way to winning the tournament. Fans clashed in Belgium ahead of their group-stage match at Euro 2000, which was eventually sealed by a solitary Alan Shearer goal – their first competitive win over their rivals since their World Cup heroics 34 years earlier. A Michael Owen hat-trick and a first ever international goal for Steven Gerrard sealed a memorable 5-1 win in Munich in 2001.
It hasn’t always been roses. Gary Lineker famously once said of the fixture “Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win”. It was Germany who famously beat them in the last-ever match played at the old Wembley in October 2000 and it was the Germans once again who inflicted a first-ever defeat for England at the new Wembley seven years later. The World Cup in South Africa in 2010 brought back memories of ’66 when the two teams met in the second round. With Germany leading 2-1, Frank Lampard had a shot rebound off the bar, and after the ball had seemed to cross the line, the officials seemed to disagree and Germany went on to reach the quarter-finals with a 4-1 win – England’s heaviest defeat in World Cup history.
The teams are set to clash once again in what will be the 31st meeting between the two in Dortmund on Wednesday evening. The Three Lions will be looking to level the scores (Germany have 14 wins compared to England’s 13; there have been three draws) and after trading blows in a pair of friendlies since their African encounter, both teams will be looking to utilise this fixture as key preparation for important World Cup qualifiers coming up on the weekend - Gareth Southgate’s men host Lithuania whilst Jurgen Low takes his team to Azerbaijan on Sunday.
In the most recent fixture, a 3-2 victory for England in Munich last year Jamie Vardy scored his first international goal on his way to winning the Premier League title in a remarkable season for Leicester City. He will once again be called upon as a source of goals. With Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge all out injured, there is surprise call-up for 34-year-old Jermain Defoe who has not featured in the national setup for nearly five years. Southgate has reiterated his desire to bring young players through the ranks and the inclusion of Southampton’s Nathan Redmond and James Ward-Prowse in his squad only confirms this.
Germany have lost their last three matches at home against England – interestingly under three different English managers (Eriksson, Capello, Hodgson). They have not lost in Dortmund in over 10 years however and will be looking to prevent it becoming four in four under Southgate, who is taking charge of his first match since being appointed full-time. RB Leipzig have been the surprise package in the Bundesliga this season and their form has led to a first ever international call-up for Timo Werner. There are recalls for Mesut Ozil and Andre Schurrle while Lukas Podolski is set to captain the side as he earns his 130th cap. Borussia Dortmund duo Marco Reus and Mario Gotze will miss the chance to play in front of their home crowd, as the pair are missing through injury.