17:45
The game will be played in Batumi today with a pleasant 24 degrees and a slightly cloudy sky. The referee of the game is Aliyar Aghayev from Azerbaijan.
17:28
The English have so far lived up to their role as favourites. With two confident 2-0 wins against the Czech Republic and Israel, the “Young Lions” have already made the quarterfinals and group victory perfect. Coach Lee Carsley can give Premier League stars like Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal), Curtis Jones (Liverpool) or Levi Colwill (Chelsea) a break after a long season before the knockout phase. But that doesn’t mean England are giving up today’s game. The British still have enough quality and they are also hot. “Regardless of who we’re playing and whether we’re already qualified, it’s all about winning and creating a winning mentality. We want to dominate every game we play,” said Anthony Gordon ahead of the game.
17:21
After the late setback in the 2-1 draw against the Czech Republic, the mood in the German camp was depressed in the last few days. “Of course we are all disappointed,” admitted DFB sporting director Rudi Völler, but also made it clear: “There is still a tad of hope.” Coach Di Salvo was also optimistic. “Anything is possible in football. We’re capable of beating England,” said the 44-year-old, who doesn’t want to focus too much on the opponent. “For me, it’s important that we put our qualities on the pitch. We want to focus on our own game. We had a lot of chances in the first few games and we just have to be more ripped off in these decisive situations,” said Di Salvo.
17:11
A look at the line-ups: Compared to the bankruptcy against the Czech Republic, Di Salvo brings three fresh players today. Nelson Weiper, Noah Weißhaupt and Márton Dárdai will start in place of Denis Huseinbašić, Jessic Ngankam and Luca Netz (all bench). Youssoufa Moukoko and Kenneth Schmidt are not in the squad due to injuries. On the other hand, only three players remain in the starting XI, keeper James Trafford, Ben Johnson and Noni Madueke, who last featured in the 2-0 win over Israel. Since England is already sure to be the group winner, coach Lee Carsley rotates through and brings in eight new players.
17:02
Before the final duel with the top favorites England, the German team has their backs to the wall. After just one point from the games against Israel (1-1) and the Czech Republic (1-2), Antonio Di Salvo’s men no longer have progress in their own hands. First of all, a three-pointer against the strong English team is imperative, but Israel also has to beat the Czech Republic in the parallel game. But only so high that the Israelis end up behind the Germans, who then have the same number of points. So a lot has to come together for the DFB selection to reach the quarter-finals.
17:01
Hello and welcome to the third and last European Championship group game of the German U-21 team! At 6 p.m., the DFB-Elf meets England in the Adjarabet Arena in Batumi!