The German national team will kick off their EURO2020 qualification campaign against the Netherlands on Sunday (20:45 CET). Joachim Löw’s men will look to signal their intentions and start with a win in the Johan-Cruyff-Arena. DFB.de has all you need to know ahead of Die Mannschaft’s trip to Amsterdam.
PROMISING RECORD: The two nations have met on 42 previous occasions, of which the Germans won 15 times. There fixture has resulted in a draw 16 times, whilst the Netherlands have picked up 11 victories of their own. Die Mannschaft has not drawn against any other national team more than the Netherlands. Germany are unbeaten in six of the last seven meetings between the two sides.
DAMPENER IN THE NATIONS LEAGUE: The last time Germany faced the Netherlands was the 19th November in Gelsenkirchen in the UEFA Nations League. Löw’s men took a 2-0 lead at half time but two Dutch goals in the last five minutes sealed a draw for the visitors. Oranje won the reverse fixture in October 3-0, which is their only victory in the last seven outings against Germany.
A TOUGH PLACE TO VISIT: The last time Germany secured a victory in an away fixture against the Netherlands was 23 years ago. On 24th April 1996, a Jurgen Klinsmann penalty saw Germany clinch a 1-0 victory in a friendly in preparation for EURO96 in England. Since then, the Germans have recorded two draws and two losses in four matches in the Netherlands.
SERBIA GAME PROVIDES MOTIVATION: In the second half of Germany’s previous game against Serbia, Die Mannschaft recorded 14 shots to Serbia’s one. The main problem was being able to make the most of their chances. Leon Goretzka’s 69th minute goal ensured that the Germans’ efforts didn’t go unrewarded after falling behind in the first half.
SPECIAL CLASH: Germany against the Netherlands always has the potential to be a special game. In 1912, both teams fought spectacularly and couldn’t be separated as the game ended in a 5-5 draw. To this day, this clash remains that with the highest amount of goals between the two sides. The World Cup final in 1974 in Munich marked the first competitive meeting between the pair. After the Netherlands took an early lead, Germany scored two of their own through Paul Breitner and Gerd Müller to overcome the deficit and see themselves crowned world champions. Another unforgettable moment in the history of the fixture is undoubtedly the meeting in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, when Dutchman Frank Rijkaard spat in the hair of Rudi Völler. Germany went on to win the game 2-1.
A GOOD DAY: Both Germany and the Netherlands seem to enjoy playing on the 24th March. Between the two teams, they have recorded three wins and two draws, and both remain unbeaten. One of these results was the famous 5-5 draw in 1912.
TWO POSSIBLE DEBUTANTS: In the current national squad, Jurgen Löw named three newcomers: Lukas Klostermann (RB Leipzig), Niklas Stark (Hertha BSC) and Maximilian Eggestein (Werder Bremen). Whilst Klostermann made his debut against Serbia, Stark and Eggestein still await their first cap.
The German national team will kick off their EURO2020 qualification campaign against the Netherlands on Sunday (20:45 CET). Joachim Löw’s men will look to signal their intentions and start with a win in the Johan-Cruyff-Arena. DFB.de has all you need to know ahead of Die Mannschaft’s trip to Amsterdam.
PROMISING RECORD: The two nations have met on 42 previous occasions, of which the Germans won 15 times. There fixture has resulted in a draw 16 times, whilst the Netherlands have picked up 11 victories of their own. Die Mannschaft has not drawn against any other national team more than the Netherlands. Germany are unbeaten in six of the last seven meetings between the two sides.
DAMPENER IN THE NATIONS LEAGUE: The last time Germany faced the Netherlands was the 19th November in Gelsenkirchen in the UEFA Nations League. Löw’s men took a 2-0 lead at half time but two Dutch goals in the last five minutes sealed a draw for the visitors. Oranje won the reverse fixture in October 3-0, which is their only victory in the last seven outings against Germany.
A TOUGH PLACE TO VISIT: The last time Germany secured a victory in an away fixture against the Netherlands was 23 years ago. On 24th April 1996, a Jurgen Klinsmann penalty saw Germany clinch a 1-0 victory in a friendly in preparation for EURO96 in England. Since then, the Germans have recorded two draws and two losses in four matches in the Netherlands.
SERBIA GAME PROVIDES MOTIVATION: In the second half of Germany’s previous game against Serbia, Die Mannschaft recorded 14 shots to Serbia’s one. The main problem was being able to make the most of their chances. Leon Goretzka’s 69th minute goal ensured that the Germans’ efforts didn’t go unrewarded after falling behind in the first half.
SPECIAL CLASH: Germany against the Netherlands always has the potential to be a special game. In 1912, both teams fought spectacularly and couldn’t be separated as the game ended in a 5-5 draw. To this day, this clash remains that with the highest amount of goals between the two sides. The World Cup final in 1974 in Munich marked the first competitive meeting between the pair. After the Netherlands took an early lead, Germany scored two of their own through Paul Breitner and Gerd Müller to overcome the deficit and see themselves crowned world champions. Another unforgettable moment in the history of the fixture is undoubtedly the meeting in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, when Dutchman Frank Rijkaard spat in the hair of Rudi Völler. Germany went on to win the game 2-1.
A GOOD DAY: Both Germany and the Netherlands seem to enjoy playing on the 24th March. Between the two teams, they have recorded three wins and two draws, and both remain unbeaten. One of these results was the famous 5-5 draw in 1912.
TWO POSSIBLE DEBUTANTS: In the current national squad, Jurgen Löw named three newcomers: Lukas Klostermann (RB Leipzig), Niklas Stark (Hertha BSC) and Maximilian Eggestein (Werder Bremen). Whilst Klostermann made his debut against Serbia, Stark and Eggestein still await their first cap.
MILESTONE FOR THE NETHERLANDS: Sunday’s match will mark the 800th international game for the Dutch national side. Oranje have won over half of these matches (402), whilst recording 176 draws and losing on 221 occasions.
FAMILIAR FACES: The Netherlands squad includes two former Bundesliga players in Ryan Babel, who played for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim between January 2011 and August 2012, and Luuk de Jong, who scored 6 times in 36 games for Borussia Mönchengladbach from 2012 to 2014.
SPECIAL TALENT: At 19 years of age, Matthijs de Ligt is the youngest member of the Netherlands’ squad. De Ligt, who is the youngest player to have captained AFC Ajax, made his full international debut at just 17 years of age.
