Euro 2012 Qualifiers: Belgium vs. Germany - Match Preview
Belgium get set to take on Germany in the 2012 Euro qualifiers. The hosts will have a hard time containing Germany, who were brilliant in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The Germans played attractive football and finished third with a fairly young and unknown team. This was a sharp contrast to the team they presented in the 2006 World Cup, where they also finished third.
Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos, Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose are just some of the players who have made the German team one of the most attractive teams to watch. The football they play is beautiful and has changed any previous notions about the Germans playing a methodical, dull brand of football.
The relatively younger German squad will receive a boost with the news of Michael Ballack returning to full fitness and possibly being available for the trip to Belgium.
The former Chelsea player had a disappointing season with both club and country. He suffered an injury and was ruled out from any action until after the summer. Chelsea did win the double last season, but he was sidelined for the greater part of it.
The same went for the World Cup. The captain was there for his team, but could not lead them on the pitch. However, since he has returned, he will probably be given the captain’s armband once again.
Belgium did not even manage to make it to the World Cup - they had a poor qualifying campaign - and a 1-0 defeat to Finland on August 11 after the World Cup proved that things had not improved since then.
Looking at the players they have at their disposal, it is disappointing that the Belgians are not doing better. Thomas Vermaelen of Arsenal, Daniel Van Buyten from Bayern Munchen, and Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany are decent centre-backs. They have reached their potential with clubs and will be hoping to do the same for country.
Kevin De Bruyne, who plays at KRV Genk, has recently developed into a strong player, surpassing the expectations his club had for him. He also holds immense potential for country. Other players are Steven Defour, the youngster who is a Manchester United target, and Everton favourite Marouane Fellaini.
Alex Witsel, who is currently playing for Standard de Liege, and Ajax Amsterdam star Jan Vertonghen are likely to make the difference in today’s match. Last but not least, youngster Eden Hazard, who plays for French club Lille, and the 21-year old Belgian top scorer Jelle Vossen will be eager to feature in attack to help their side against the Germans.
The player to watch for in the Belgium side is 19-year old Eden Hazard of Lille. The youngster has attracted every top European club, but chose to stay at Ligue 1 side Lille. The young striker has just begun his football career and a move to the top clubs in Europe is very likely in the future.
For Germany, it is Mesut Ozil. Ozil was undoubtedly the best player in the 2010 World Cup. Since then, he had bids from Chelsea, Manchester United and other clubs. The German midfielder, however, chose to go to Real Madrid. He revealed that manager Jose Mourinho had a big part in his decision to join the Spanish giants.
In their last six matches, Germany have won 5 and lost only 1. The Belgians’ only victory came on November 20, 1991 in the European Championships. It will be interesting to see how well they can perform against the German superstars.
Possible starting line-ups:
Belgium - Gillet, Vertonghen, Vermaelen, Van Buyten, Van Damme, Kompany, Defour, Hazard, Witsel, Vossen, Lukaku
Germany - Neuer, Badstuber, Lahm, Mertesacker, Westermann, Ballack, Khedira, Muller, Ozil, Schweinsteiger, Klose
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