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World Cup 2014 winners Germany were shockingly eliminated from the group stages in the 2018 edition of the competition held in Russia. Joachim Low’s men will be hoping to make amends when the tournament returns next year. However, they have a qualifying phase to get through before that. First up for them, Iceland.
On March 9, the German Football Association (DFB) announced that head coach Joachim Low will step down after the conclusion of the summer Euros. The announcement sent shockwaves throughout the world, confirming the end of an era during which Die Mannschaft lifted the World Cup.
Low will get his last hurrah at Euro this summer. Before that, however, he will take charge of the German National Team during the current international break. The 2014 World Cup winners are beginning their qualification campaign for the 2022 edition of the same competition. They have been drawn in Group J of the European qualifiers, alongside Armenia, Liechtenstein, Romania, North Macedonia, and their next opponents, Iceland.
Germany’s squad selection for the forthcoming international games saw teenage pair Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala called-up to the senior team for the first time. Both the players have enjoyed a successful campaign with their respective clubs – Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich – and will be hoping for a spot in the squad for the Euros. However, Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng, and Mats Hummels continue to be absent from the national camp after Low announced his decision to focus on new talent post-2018 World Cup elimination.
Chelsea’s German duo of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz has also been called-up by Low, despite the players enduring a rough start to life in England. They will be hoping to use the international break as a means to return to form before going back to London for the final part of the season.
This game will be the fifth meeting between Iceland and Germany in history, with the former never having won any of them. However, Iceland do have a surprise in them, as evident by their stunning 2016 UEFA Euro quarter-final run, during which they beat England. They also became the smallest nation by population to secure a World Cup finals spot, when they qualified for the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Iceland will take on Germany without star player Gylfi Sigurdsson, who was not included in the roster for the current international break.
Key Players
Ilkay Gundogan: Manchester City star Gundogan is among the contenders to be named Premier League’s Player of the Season. The midfielder has been transformed into a goal-machine by Pep Guardiola, who uses him in an innovative no-striker system. He has scored 16 goals in all competitions this season and has provided three assists. Iceland will have to be wary of the ex-Dortmund man, who could hurt them with his late runs from deep.
Timo Werner: The German striker has endured a tough first season in England, hampered by periods of inconsistency and poor finishing. However, he has started to sparkle again since the appointment of compatriot Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea. What Werner lacks in finishing quality, he makes up in speed and positioning. The Iceland defenders will have to be cautious when facing him and deny presenting him with space to run into.
Hannes Halldorsson: The Iceland star was key to his side’s Euro 2016 and WC2018 campaigns, even saving a penalty from Lionel Messi during the latter. Halldorsson’s performance between the sticks could impact the result in a big way, especially with Germany expected to launch waves of attack at their opponents.
Kolbeinn Sigthorsson: It was Sigthorsson’s goal that knocked England out of the Euro 2016 and set up Iceland’s quarter-final tie against France. The 31-year-old has been a key player for his national team in attack and has scored 26 international goals so far – joint top with the legendary forward Eidur Gudjohnsen.
Prediction
Germany are going through a difficult period. Die Mannschaft’s latest cycle saw them eliminated from the World Cup back in 2018, then lose out on a spot in consecutive UEFA Nations League finals. They were also thrashed 6-0 by Spain in the latter competition, thus cumulating their misery. If there is a good time to face the former world champions, it is now.
It won’t be a walk in the park for Iceland, who are without key players Gylfi Sigurdsson and Alfred Finnbogasson. Nevertheless, they do have a few talented youngsters, such as Arnor Sigurdsson and Albert Gudmundsson.
One would still fancy Germany’s chances in this one, given the talent they have at their disposal. Low’s men will look to use the current international break as a springboard for this summer’s Euros. They will hope to send their boss into the sunset with another trophy in his cabinet.
