Spain will face Germany in the UEFA EURO 2024 quarterfinal match at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart. The fixture will take place on Friday, July 5, beginning at 21:30 IST.
Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.
Spain News & Current Form:
The upcoming quarterfinal match will feature two teams that showed some of the most attractive and quality football at Euro 2024, inspiring spectators with their performances and avoiding boring matches of the tournament. Spain and Germany are both considered top contenders for the title, but they have found themselves in the same half of the draw, facing each other in the quarterfinals. Now, it must be decided who will continue the pursuit of the European trophy.
Spain’s young team has won over fans worldwide. Before the tournament, the squad of Luis de la Fuente was a dark horse, but after their resounding victory over Croatia in the first match, it became clear that La Roja would be among the title contenders.
In their opening match against Luka Modric and Co., the Red Fury ceded possession for the first time in 137 matches, but it didn’t matter as they won with a score of 3:0. Moreover, all three goals were scored in the first half. Captain Álvaro Morata opened the scoring in the 29th minute, followed by a goal from Fabián Ruiz. Just before the break, Dani Carvajal set the final scoreline. The Checkered Ones had a chance to score from a penalty, but Bruno Petković missed, and his follow-up was ruled offside.
After such a successful start, the Reds had a classy sign-off match against Italy, but in essence, there was no fight between the geographical neighbours. Despite the 1:0 scoreline, Spain dominated, with wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams terrorising the Italian defence. An own goal by Azzurri’s Riccardo Calafiori secured the victory for the Roja, ensuring they topped their group and advanced to the playoffs.
Against Albania, Spain played with a second team but still secured a 1:0 victory, with Ferran Torres scoring the decisive goal. Thus, the team of de la Fuente became the only one with nine points in the group stage.
The Reds then faced Georgia in the round of 16. Despite the Crusaders’ impressive performance, they had little chance against La Furia Roja. The match started badly for Spain, with Robin Le Normand scoring an own goal in the 18th minute. It is important to note that this was the first and only goal conceded by the team at the tournament.
However, Spain’s attacking prowess soon showed. Rodri equalised before halftime with a long-range shot, and Ruiz put his team ahead early in the second half with an assist from Yamal, who became the youngest player to assist in EURO history. Williams and substitute Dani Olmo added goals to secure a 4:1 victory, with La Roja setting a record for the most shots (35) in a major tournament match.
The team’s statistics are impressive: they had 72% possession and 13 shots on target against Georgia, compared to none for their opponents. The Reds have scored nine goals in four matches, with Fabián Ruiz just one goal behind Germany’s Jamal Musiala in the top-scorer race.
Lamine Yamal has been a standout, matching the record of Cristiano Ronaldo for the youngest player and assist provider in the championship. He created 11 chances and completed 11 dribbles in four matches. Spain’s team, under de la Fuente, excels in regaining possession in the attacking third and has covered almost seven kilometres more than the ageing German team.
The Fury’s versatility is a strength: they can dominate with positional attacks (as against Georgia), press intensely (as against Italy), or counterattack effectively (as against Croatia). Their varied goal-scoring methods include crosses, set pieces, central attacks, long shots, and dribbling breakthroughs. Their depth is also impressive, with top players like Alejandro Grimaldo and Olmo available off the bench.
Young prodigy of Spain Lamine Yamal created 11 chances in four matches of the EUROs
Fourteen players from the current squad progressed from the youth team to the senior team under de la Fuente, ensuring a cohesive and well-understood system. Spain’s attacks through the wings are particularly potent, with Nico Williams in superb form on the left, likely to face a defensively vulnerable Joshua Kimmich. On the right, Lamine Yamal has been exceptional, and his opponents, David Raum or Maximilian Mittelstädt, are not formidable. Carvajal and Marc Cucurella support the wingers effectively, making Roja’s flanks a significant threat.
Given these strengths, the Reds are well-positioned to advance to the semifinals, although Germany will undoubtedly provide a stern test.
Germany News & Current Form:
The DFB team is undoubtedly one of the favourites in the current championship. Firstly, the collective of Julian Nagelsmann is the tournament’s host, which always gives a team a privileged position and the fierce support of the home crowd. Secondly, the Germans have been playing high-quality football, especially evident in their first two games of the tournament.
In the Euro 2024 opening match, the National Eleven had a dominant performance against Scotland in Munich, winning with an impressive score of 5:1. By halftime, they were already leading by three goals thanks to Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, and Kai Havertz, substitute Niclas Füllkrug scored the fourth goal. Although their opponents managed to score a consolation goal thanks to a goal from Antonio Rüdiger, Emre Can sealed the match with Germany’s fifth goal. Can was a last-minute addition to the squad, replacing the ill FC Bayern Munich player Alexander Pavlovic.
Manuel Neuer has played 19 matches for the German national team, more than anybody in the history of the collective
In the second round, Germany secured a more modest 2:0 victory against Hungary. Musiala scored his second goal of the tournament in the first half, and Ilkay Gündogan added a second in the second half. This win made the host country the first team to secure a place in the playoffs.
However, in their final group match against Switzerland, DFBs almost lost their top spot in the group. The opponent scored first through Dan Ndoye in the 28th minute and maintained their lead until the very end. In injury time, Füllkrug saved his team from defeat with a header, securing a 1:1 draw. Despite this, Germany topped their group with seven points, though their performance against the Swiss tempered fans’ optimism.
Nagelsmann’s men had a tough match against Denmark in the round of 16. Nico Schlotterbeck opened the scoring in the 4th minute, but his goal was disallowed after a VAR review. The match was interrupted by lightning and heavy hail, and the first half ended goalless.
After the break, the Red and Whites thought they had scored, but their goal was disallowed for a microscopic offside by Joachim Andersen. Shortly after, Andersen handled the ball in his penalty area, resulting in a penalty that Havertz confidently converted. Germany scraped through to the next round, with the coach expressing pride in his team’s resilience.
Manuel Neuer became the all-time leader in the number of appearances for Germany at the Euros, playing his 19th match and surpassing Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has 18. Midfielder Toni Kroos created four chances in 12 minutes and 21 seconds, more than any England player in the entire tournament. Jamal Musiala, with his third goal of Euro 2024, shares the top scorer spot with Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze and is a leading contender for the tournament’s Best Young Player award.
The German national team last won a medal at the EUROs in 2016, earning bronze, but they struggled in the next three major international tournaments. After a disappointing exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup, they had a series of poor friendly results, leading to the dismissal of Hansi Flick and Nagelsmann’s appointment. Since taking over, the ex-gaffer of Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig has addressed the team’s issues, and his charges have shown strong results since early 2024.
“Friday will be Toni Kroos’ last match,”
said Spain’s forward Joselu recently, a bold statement. Of course, the German team will do everything possible to ensure Kroos plays at least one more match.
Antonio Rüdiger has shared his expectations for the upcoming Euro quarter-final match against Spain:
“It’s a big and important game, a classic, I’m just looking forward to it. In my opinion, the two best teams of the tournament will meet each other. I see a game on equal footing. We have to be ready to fight.
“We need to have the courage to go forward because they are vulnerable too. They press high, it can be overcome. But to do that we need to have good ball possession and stay calm in stressful situations. And we cannot make mistakes.”
Spain form guide: W-W-W-W-W-W
Germany form guide: D-W-W-W-D-W
Spain vs Germany Head-To-Head Record:
| Spain | Draw | Germany |
| 8 | 9 | 9 |
- September 3, 2020: Germany 1 – 1 Spain (UEFA Nations League);
- November 17, 2020: Spain 6 – 0 Germany (UEFA Nations League);
- November 27, 2022: Spain 1 – 1 Germany (FIFA World Cup).
Spain vs Germany Predicted XI:
Spain’s possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Simon; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella; Pedri, Rodri, Ruiz; Yamal, Morata, Williams.
Germany’s possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Tah, Rudiger, Raum; Kroos, Andrich; Musiala, Gundogan, Wirtz; Havertz.
Statistical preview of the match Spain vs Germany:
- The German national team holds 16th place in the FIFA ranking of national squads, while the Spanish collective is ranked 8th.
- Spain’s First XI average age is 26.5 years, and Germany’s First XI average age is 29.0 years.
- Anthony Taylor has been appointed as the centre referee. The match official has already served 37 games this season, showing an average of 4.4 yellow cards and also whistles 21 fouls per game.
- Germany conceded an average of 0.60 goals per game in their last 5 games and scored an average of 2.40 goals per game.
- In the last 5 games, Spain conceded an average of 0.40 goals per game and scored an average of 2.80 goals per game.
- Over the past 16 games, including all tournaments, the Spanish national team has suffered only one setback, losing 0:1 to Colombia in a friendly in March this year. In the other 15 games in this period, the Spaniards have drawn twice and won 13 times, eight of them by two goals or more.
- The German collective is coming into this fixture with an 8-match unbeaten streak in all tournaments. During this time, they secured two draws and achieved six wins. Only in one match during this period, the Germans failed to score and conceded 4 goals during this time.
- Spain have won their last six games in a row.
- Germany have scored at least two goals in four of their last five matches.
- Spain have scored at least three goals in five of their last seven matches.
What has been said before the match:
Spain striker Joselu, who was born in Stuttgart and played at Hoffenheim and Hannover during his career, spoke about what he learnt in Germany:
“The first thing they taught me here when I signed for Hoffenheim was that I had to be stronger. So they introduced special dietary regimes, and gym sessions and after a while, my muscle mass improved. Another important, important thing they taught me was, “Don’t be late!” This is a country where mutual respect is very important, so you can’t be late. In Spain, things are a bit disastrous in this respect.”
Germany midfielder Toni Kroos has admitted he would not have resumed his national team career if he did not believe the Germans could win the European Championship:
“The belief in this team has grown a lot in recent months because we have gone through experiences that have helped us overcome adversity. You can see that we believe in ourselves to overcome difficult moments and win matches.”
“Returning to the national team was always about winning the European Championship. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t think we had a chance to achieve this goal.”
“I have always believed that such matches are won in the centre of the pitch. The team that controls that area and wins the most goals there will have the best chance of winning. There were pretty big doubts about whether we would do well or not. In this respect, I think the tournament will no longer be considered a failure.”
Head coach of the Spanish national team Luis de la Fuente shared his expectations from the match of the 1/4 finals of the European Championship with Germany:
“The German national team is a fantastic team, for which they play some of the best players on the planet. This is a team with high game organisation and discipline. But the Germans will face a similar opponent – very determined, perfectly organised, unyielding and raring to succeed. I know it has become a cliché in football, but the result of tomorrow’s match will be decided by the little things.”
Spain vs Germany Prediction:
The attacking ability of both teams is completely intact: they have scored in every game of this Euro and claim to be the most prolific sides (Germany has 10 goals under the belt, Spain has 9). Looking at the broader statistics, the Red Fury accounted for 19 goals in the last six games (3.16 goals per 90 minutes on average), while Germany scored 12 goals in the same stretch (two goals per game). The quarter-final showdown is not going to be as uneventful and cautious as most of the matches at this Euros. We expect that the rivals will surprise each other at least once and we will see at least three goals scored.
Parimatch News staff prediction:
We say: Both teams will score and the match total will be over 2.5 – Yes.
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