Euro 2020, France Vs Germany: The Ambition Stage Of Two Brilliant Coaches

Didier Deschamps (Twitter @FrenchTeam)

JAKARTA - France's meeting with Germany is a heavyweight meeting that happened too early. They have to destroy each other from the start because they are in a group which is also inhabited by the defending European Cup champions Portugal.

The fourth participant in this group, Hungary, is also not a random contestant. The country has twice been runners-up at the World Cup and at Euro 2016 topped the group stage, which Portugal also hosts.

This meeting is also full of personal ambitions of his coaches where France coach Didier Deschamps has ambitions to become the first person to become world champion and European champion both as a player and as a coach.

Meanwhile, Joachim Low wants to leave a landmark again for Germany who is a tournament specialist after the battered 2018 World Cup and before he ends his coaching era that once successfully led Germany to world champions.

Although the opening match is not the most decisive, both Deschamps and Low consider the meeting at the Allianz Stadium in Munich early Wednesday at 02.00 CEST to be a matter of dignity.

France went through the first match of the 2018 World Cup by thrashing Australia 2-1 before winning the tournament. It was against Australia, but this one is Germany. There's ambition there even though Deschamps hides it.

"The reality that the first game is important but not decisive," said Deschamps. "The quality of the opponents we face tomorrow turns that game into a fantastic encounter. We are two of the best teams in Europe, it's a matter of who is clinical and takes chances."

Germany itself, which for the first time in its football history was eliminated in the group stage of a major tournament at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, did not want to be underestimated.

1⃣ day to go! #FRAGER #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/nJdnvAAHUC

— French Team (@FrenchTeam) June 14, 2021

Germany, which, like France, broke through to the Euro 2020 finals with the status of winning the qualifying group, did not want failure in the World Cup three years ago to be a barometer for his current team even though he was still coached by Loew.

"We know France have had success in recent years. But we are still a very good team who will be uncomfortable to play against," said Germany captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. "We have respect for them but we don't consider ourselves underdogs. We want to win this game here in Munich."

Yes, the crowd is an important additional factor that France does not have even though the Allianz Stadium only allows 14,000 spectators.

However, except for Thomas Mueller and Mats Hummels and Neuer, this German squad has not been tested as well as the French squad who are favorites to win. The French squad is inhabited by most of the players who are still fresh to feel the World Cup trophy even now plus Karim Benzema who will form a deadly trident with Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.

Germany once again rejected the squad's view of the familiarity with big tournaments as a big factor. "What will be important tomorrow is to do what the team has shown in the last 14 days," said midfielder Jonas Hofmann.

Important statistics for both teams

This is the sixth meeting between France and Germany in a major tournament, but the first to have occurred in the group stages. So far they have a relatively balanced record with two wins each in these six meetings.

France are unbeaten in their last five matches against Germany on German soil (3 wins, 2 draws). Their last meeting in September 2018 which was also held at the Allianz Arena ended in a 0-0 draw.

This is Joachim Low's 18th European Cup match. He led Germany to the semifinals at five of the six major tournaments, and once led Germany to world champions in 2014.

Didier Deschamps led France to 1998 world champions and 2000 European champions as a player, and 2018 world champions as coach. He is now chasing a successful European title as a manager after coming close at Euro 2016 when Les Bleus finished runners-up to Portugal.