Euro 2024: Germany faces Denmark in the round of 16

After a lot of football calculations, the German national team will face Denmark in the European Championship round of 16. The team led by Leipzig professional Yussuf Poulsen qualified for the knockout phase on Tuesday evening as second in Group C with a 0:0 draw against Serbia and will therefore face Julian Nagelsmann’s team in Dortmund on Saturday (9 p.m.).

The national coach had to wait as a TV spectator in the team’s headquarters in Herzogenaurach until the final whistle of both evening games. Only then was the starting position clear. England, Slovenia and Serbia were also possible opponents. Ultimately, the fair play rating in comparison to the Slovenians, who had the same number of points and goals, tipped the scales in favor of the Danes, who received fewer yellow cards in the preliminary round.

Nagelsmann described the already long wait for the opponent since Sunday evening after the conclusion of the group phase with a 1-1 draw against Switzerland as not ideal.

Denmark – a well-known opponent

Denmark, with its Bundesliga professionals and former Mainz coach Kasper Hjulmand, is well known in Germany as a football opponent. However, there have only been four duels with its northern neighbour in major tournaments. The 0:2 defeat in the 1992 European Championship final is a bad memory. The same result was also seen at the 1986 World Cup, when Danish Dynamite lit up.

At the last home European Championship in 1988, the DFB team won 2-0 in the group phase in Gelsenkirchen. The last competitive match was Germany’s 2-1 victory at the 2012 European Championship, with which the team of then national coach Joachim Löw made it into the knockout phase.

The last time Germany and Denmark met was in a European Championship test in 2021. The match ended 1-1. The Danes then stormed into the semifinals. For Germany, it was over in the round of 16. At the World Cup in Qatar, the Danes, like Germany, were eliminated in the group stage.

Nagelsmann’s analysts to view Denmark videos

Nagelsmann instructed his match analysts to view and edit further video material that night. On Wednesday, the national coach will begin intensive preparations for the duel with Denmark. Training is scheduled for 11 a.m. Rudi Völler will also be in action. The DFB sports director will publicly outline the path for the knockout round at a press conference in the media center at 1:15 p.m.

The national players were able to relax on Tuesday at the home ground. Nagelsmann had granted them a day off with their families. He now has to prepare solutions for the defense by Saturday. Jonathan Tah is missing because of a yellow card suspension. It is still uncertain whether Antonio Rüdiger will be fit after his strain in his right thigh. Nico Schlotterbeck and Waldemar Anton were praised by the national coach as backup options after the 1:1 draw against Switzerland.

England wins group, Slovenia also advances

European Championship favorite England is also in the round of 16. Despite another poor performance against Slovenia (0:0), coach Gareth Southgate’s team managed to win the group. England will therefore face a third-placed team in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday. Slovenia will face Portugal or the winner of Group E. That could be Belgium, Ukraine, Romania or Slovakia.