Florian Wirtz, from Germany, and Cristiano Ronaldo, from Portugal, are called to be protagonists in the semifinals of the Nations League.
Photo: EFE Agency
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The German selection, plunged into a crisis of results and identity in recent years, hopes to confirm its return to the first line this week in the League of Nations, which is host and measured on Wednesday in semifinals to Portugal.
The titles in the World Cup-2014 and the Confederations-2017 are already far for the fans, which accumulate disappointment after disappointment in the last great appointments, both in World Cups (elimination in the group stage in 2018 and 2022) and in Eurocups (goodbye in the round of 16 in 2021 and rooms in 2024).
In the League of Nations, an UEFA tournament that reaches its fourth edition and that began in the 2018-2019 academic year, Germany had never previously reached the final decisive Four. In full generational replacement they managed to get among the best and have the advantage of being local.
The Mannschaft desert journey is unworthy for the historic palm tree of one of the great football nations, which accumulates four world titles (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) and three Europeans (1972, 1980, 1996). The performance of recent years has not lived up to its players.
“Together, we want to win titles, even if it is a minor title,” said the German coach Julian Nagelsmann, at the beginning of the concentration of the team in Herzogenaurach (northern Bavaria) for this week of international competitions.
Germany wants to raise a title
“For our team it would be very important. I have already said it many times, Spain before winning the Eurocup (in 2024) the League of Nations took (in 2023). The Spanish team knew how to see at that time the meaning that the League of Nations can have,” he promised.
In the memory of the fans the elimination of Germany still hurts in 'their' Eurocup, falling 2-1 against Spain in the last sigh of the extension. Then the German team, despite the defeat, already gave signs of improvement with respect to previous years and confirmed the good feelings by winning their group of the League of Nations ahead of the Netherlands.
Then, in the quarterfinals of the 'Nations League', Germany won the pulse to Italy, thanks especially to a 2-1 victory in Milan.
In this week of Final Four, and therefore in the semifinal against Portugal, Germany will have sensitive casualties, especially that of its offensive animator Jamal Musiala, still in recovery of a muscular tear in the left thigh that he suffered at the end of March.
The appointment of Antonio Rüdiger and Nico Schlotterbeck, and the strikers Kai Havertz and Tim Kleindienst are also lost. Instead, Marc-André Ter Stegen returns and also returns the attacker Florian Wirtz, who were low in the double confrontation of March against the Italians.
A PSG flavor Portugal
In front of them will be the Portugal of Roberto Martínez, who has four recent winners of the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain. The attack will once again be the incombustible Cristiano Ronaldo (40 years), who aspires to continue fattening his impressive palmarés.
Nuno Mendes on the left side, Joao Neves and Vitinha in the center of the field and the attacker Gonçalo Ramos are also on the list and on Wednesday they will play in Munich, in the same stadium where four days before their PSG team won the Champions League. In between have been in Paris, celebrating the success of their club.
“We know your quality well. Sometimes it is only about being in the right place at the right time, to add titles to the quality you already have,” said the Portuguese Central Defense Ruben days on Monday.
In his last five clashes with Portugal, all of them in great tournaments, Germany has won. The last one, in the Eurocup in 2021, precisely in a match that was played at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
Possible alignments
Germany: Ter Stegen – Joshua Kimmich (cap.), Jonathan Tah, Waldemar Anton, Max Mittelstädt – Aleksandar Pavlovic, Leon Goretzka – Leroy Sané, Florian Wirtz, Serge Gnabry – Nick Woltemade. DT: Julian Nagelsmann
Portugal: Diogo Costa – Diogo Dalot, Ruben Dias, Gonçalo Inácio, Nuno Mendes – Joao Neves, Vitinha – Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leao – Cristiano Ronaldo (chap.). DT: Roberto Martínez
Arbitrator: Slavko Vincic (Eslovenia)
Time and where to see Germany vs. Portugal in the Nations League
Date: Thursday June 4
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Place: Allianz Arena (Munich)
Canal: ESPN and Disney+
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