The current world champions head to France after a pretty mixed bag of results since their success in Brazil. Defeats to Poland and Ireland in qualifying were unusual and defeats at home to England and Slovakia in recent friendlies were a warning sign ahead of the competition. However, when it comes to turning it on in big tournaments, the Germans are the nation to trust. The World Cup victory ended the relatively long German trophy drought and they are now on the hunt to dominate like Spain did.

Preparations have been marred by a late injury to Anthony Rudiger, the Roma centre half suffered a knee injury and has been replaced by young Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah. With the late reshuffle, manager Jogi Low may not know who his best defence is at the minute, although out of the back five you can fully expect the world’s best Manuel Neuer to line up in goal, with Jonas Hector at left-back and Jerome Boateng at centre back. He will likely be joined by Benedikt Howedes with Emre Can at right-back, but as mentioned, Low has a range of options he can turn to.

The World Cup success and their 7-1 humiliation of Brazil was down to the midfield, and that is an area Low will be pleased with as his side always looks to keep the ball. Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira should start, both having the ability and temperament to deal with the big games that are upcoming. In more advanced roles, Julian Draxler, Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller and Mario Gotze will probably make up the front four, and all possess a range of abilities. The fluidity and movement of these players will be hard for opponents to handle, and in Muller, Germany possess the ultimate big game player. If you fancy him to be the tournament’s top scorer or even to just play a big role in a Germany win, you can find the best odds and offers here. The Bayern Munich attacker is the ruthless marksman amongst the flair and vision on show, and that makes for a great combination.

Sane to Make Big Impact in Euros!

Elsewhere there are other players that could still make an impact even if their minutes are restricted at the start of the tournament. Leroy Sane is a particularly outstanding young talent. The Schalke wide man has a majestic left foot and beats players with ease, he is most dangerous cutting in from the right and can be another goal threat if the Germans are struggling. Whilst, a player at the other end of his career could play an equally as important role. Mario Gomez, the experienced centre forward, has found some red hot form playing in Turkey for Besiktas and has fought his way back into the international reckoning. He is a great alternative option for Low thanks to his size and aerial ability, and he demonstrated his worth with a goal against England and an assists against Hungary.

The Germans have been handed a tricky draw, although the smart money says they will win the group. They face Poland, Northen Ireland and Ukraine, all of whom have their own strengths. The Poles are dark horses for the competition, with Robert Lewandowski in their ranks, amongst several other hardworking players. Ukraine have a star of their own in Andriy Yarmolenko, with the Dynamo Kyiv attacker a constant threat with his superb left foot. Northern Ireland are the weakest in the group but they will still be a tough nut to crack. They defend deep and in numbers and are always a threat of set-pieces.

However, on the whole, the Germans will expect to be at the business end of the tournament once again. We shouldn’t read too much into the friendly results as the Germans know when to turn it on. With a spine of Neuer, Boateng, Kroos and Muller, Low has the quality at his disposal to win a consecutive major tournament in a row. France may be the favourites, but no one will ever write the Germans off and a semi-final place looks the minimum this time around.