England-Germany Preview: Old rivals face off at Wembley

Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2013 by Goal.com

Die Mannschaft will be confident of extending their excellent recent record in London despite leaving Mesut Ozil, Manuel Neuer and Philipp Lahm on the sidelines

England have the opportunity to beat Germany at Wembley for the first time since 1975 on Tuesday.

Don Revie's side saw off West Germany 2-1 in north London 38 years ago, but the Three Lions have not tasted victory at home against die Mannschaft in five attempts since.

The Germans have inflicted some historic defeats on England in that time; in the semi-finals of Euro 96, the last ever match at the old Wembley in 2000, and England's first loss at the new Wembley seven years later.

Controversy reigned when the sides last faced each other as an effort from Frank Lampard, which clearly landed over the line after bouncing down off the crossbar, was not awarded as a goal.

Germany went on to win 4-1 in Bloemfontein to knock England out of the 2010 World Cup, though three of their key men from that day will be rested by coach Joachim Low on Tuesday.

Mesut Ozil, Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer have will all miss out, while Sami Khedira has been ruled out for six months with a knee injury sustained against Italy on Friday.

Low described playmaker Ozil, defender Lahm and goalkeeper Neuer as "the backbone of our team" but underlined the need to "give others a chance against such a strong team as England".

The hosts, beaten 2-0 by Chile on Friday, will be without defender Phil Jones, who suffered a groin problem against the South Americans, but Steven Gerrard (hip) and Kyle Walker (illness) could return.

Roy Hodgson's men will be seeking a response to the Chile defeat, which was only the coach's second in 23 matches at the helm.

Striker Daniel Sturridge has recovered from a foot injury and is "raring to go" against a side who will be considered contenders in Brazil, having dropped just two points in their qualification campaign.

"(It is a) great prospect to play against them, a great occasion for players to enjoy," he said.

"I think we have to worry about the way we play, not the opposition. We have to improve as a team, and not worry about anyone else.

"It's great. Everyone gets along; everyone enjoys playing for the manager, enjoys training. We are happy to be together and it's great to be a part of it."