Euro 2016: Germany vs Poland - 5 players to watch out for
Joachim Low’s Germany will be looking to ease through to the last 16 of the UEFA Euro 2016 but they face a Polish threat in the Group C. In their previous game, Germany got the better of Ukraine with Shkodran Mustafi’s header finding the net from a curling Toni Kroos cross. Though Bastian Schweinsteiger’s goal in injury time sealed the game, Ukraine penetrated the German defense on a number of occasions and should have probably scored a couple if it wasn’t for Manuel Neuer’s heroics.
Poland had a good game against Northern Ireland and while it wasn’t easy to break the tough Irish defense, 22-year-old Arek Milik did the trick when he got on the end of Jakub Baszczykowski’s pass and slotted in the lower right corner of the net. This will be the 21st encounter between these 2 teams with Germany winning 13 of them and drawing 6.
As we build up to this epic encounter, here is a look at the 5 players to watch out for.
#1 Manuel Neuer (Germany)
One of the best goalkeepers of all time, Manuel Neuer has made breathtaking saves throughout his career for both Germany and Bayern Munich and he will be required against Poland’s strong attack. Neuer was responsible for keeping a clean sheet against Ukraine with a couple of diving saves. He has been excellent in his positioning and has had great chemistry with centre-back Jerome Boateng in caging the opponent strikers, giving them no room to pass or shoot.
Even at the age of 30, Neuer is showing no signs of slowing down as he continues to make acrobatic saves and some of them have been unbelievable, to say the least. Being a ‘sweeper-keeper’, Neuer has allowed his team to go on the offense completely while taking care of counter-attacks, running towards the midfield and making the necessary clearances.
Oppositions have struggled to get past Neuer even in 1-on-1 situations. Germany already has a psychological advantage with the presence of Neuer. No player has been able to challenge the goalkeeper’s position and replace him in the National team. He continues to remain their No.1 goalkeeper with Marc-André ter Stegen and Bernd Leno as backups. Neuer was at the top of his game against Ukraine and a similar performance will be expected against Poland.