Some reader reaction: “The Germany team arguably has three defenders and seven attackers – ours has the opposite,” writes Rick Harris. “I think we know where most of the football will be played – in England’s half.”
“I guess the answer to the burning question: ‘How do you fit Mount, Foden, and Graelish into the same team?’ is: Don’t play any of them,” writes Shawn Grant.
“You have not been following the ‘Southgate is a moron’ twitter trend close enough,” writes Mary Waltz. “A wise choice for your mental health but here is how it will proceed. If England beat Germany the Southgate-slaggers will go to these two arguments: Germany is an old washed up squad and England won despite Southgates stupidity’.”
That England team: It’s a simultaneously cautious and bold selection from Gareth Southgate, who I suspect will get massacred by fans and the media if that ludicrously defensive team gets beaten. Of course if they win, he’ll be hailed as a genius.
Antonio Rudiger and Robin Gosens start for Jogi Low, but Ilkay Gundogan is out: Neuer; Ginter, Hummels, Rudiger; Kimmich, Gosens, Kroos, Goretzka; Muller, Havertz, Werner.
The England line-up is exactly as predicted, with no place for Jack Grealish, Mason Mount or Phil Foden in the starting XI: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire; Trippier, Rice, Phillips, Shaw; Saka, Kane Sterling.
England players loiter with intent at Wembley. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AP
Declan Rice, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw shoot the breeze during their pre-match perambulation on the Wembley sward. Photograph: Catherine Ivill/Reuters
Confirmed: Frank De Boer has left his post as manager of the Netherlands after tendering his resignation. ““I have decided not to continue as national coach,” he said in a statement. “The objective has not been achieved, that is clear.”
The England Band: Arguably the most unpopular musical collective in the UK, the unloved and unwanted attention-seekers that are the England Band will be making their post-lockdown return to the international football arena this evening. It’s great news for those who love endlessly parped brass renditions of The Great Escape and Rule Britannia while trying to watch a football match, if such people actually exist.
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Germany fans get to Wembley early. Photograph: Frank Augstein/AFP/Getty Images
This just in: Reports from the Netherlands suggest that Frank De Boer has been sacked as manager of the national team following their Round of 16 exit from Euro 2020 at the hands of the Czech Republic.
Fans arrive at Wembley ahead of this evening’s game. Photograph: Zac Goodwin/PA
Pre-match: It has been revealed that Germany’s players will take the knee along with England’s prior to kick-off, while team skippers Harry Kane and Manuel Neuer will both wear rainbow armbands to show their support for the LGBT community.
Max Rushden and I were joined by Philippe Auclair, Rory Smith and Nick Ames to discuss two thrilling games, fourteen goals, several missed penalties, goalkeeper gaffes and some very late drama on our award-winning, chart-topping podcast yesterday. You can listen to it on the Guardian Football website and if you’re not already a subscriber, sign up for free in all the usual pod places. We’ll be back tonight to pick over the bones of this game and Sweden’s match against Ukraine.
Tonight’s match officials
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
Assistant referees: Hessel Steegstra and Jan de Vries (Netherlands)
Fourth official: Srdjan Jovanović (Serbia)
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel (Netherlands)
Dutch referee Danny Makkelie is in charge of maintaining order at Wembley this evening. Photograph: Kirill Kudryavtsev/Reuters
Early team news
The jungle drum noises emanating from the England camp suggest Gareth Southgate is going for a belt, another belt and several pairs of braces approach to today’s game.
Rum our has it he is set to switch to a back three for the first time in this tournament, mirroring Germany’s expected 3-4-3 formation. Bukayo Saka is expected to keep his place in the side after his man of the match performance against the Czech Republic.
If these rumours from The Athletic’s David Ornstein - a well connected newshound who doesn’t get much wrong, are correct - there is unlikely to be a place for Phil Foden, Mason Mount or Jack Grealish in Gareth Southgate’s starting line-up. If he picks the team leaked to the media and it loses, he will get slaughtered.
Mount and Ben Chilwell have spent the past week training separately from the rest of the squad after being forced into quarantine following their lengthy chat with Chelsea team-mate Typhoid Billy in the immediate aftermath of the Scotland match. The duo have since been released back into polite society and are available for selection but neither is expected to start.
Germany have doubts over the availability of three key players, with Antonio Rudiger, Ilkay Gundogan and Robin Gosens all due to be assessed ahead of kick-off. Sky Sports in Germany are reporting that Gundogan will definitely be absent.
That leaked and possibly wrong (in every sense of the word) England line-up: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire; Trippier, Rice, Phillips, Shaw; Saka, Kane Sterling.
Along with Mason Mount and several training ground mannequins, Ben Chilwell has been put through his paces separately from the rest of the England squad for the past week. Photograph: Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA/Getty Images
Following one of the most breathtaking days of international tournament football in living memory, the baton is passed to England and Germany as they renew hostilities at Wembley. Much has been written about their long rivalry in the build-up to this game, with many suggesting that England fans are far more obsessed with it than their German counterparts.
That may well be the case but once Dutch referee Danny Makkelie blows his whistle for the first time this evening, battles of yore will be quickly forgotten as both teams set about trying to assert their authority and dominance in the here and now. Kick-off at whgat promises to be a ludicrously tense Wembley affair is at 5pm (BST) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
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