INTERNATIONAL football returns with the clash of superpowers Germany and Spain in a cracking Nations League curtain-raiser on Thursday.
Neither side have played in 10 months and each have an unfamiliar look. Germany have left out players from Bayern Munich – with the exception of Niklas Sule and Leroy Sane – and Leipzig after their recent Champions League exploits.
And Spain have named a youthful squad with several players, including Ansu Fati, Mikel Merino and Eric Garcia, hoping to win a first cap.
In their last action, both teams rounded off Euro 2020 qualification with thumping wins while finishing top of their respective groups.
Luis Enrique has since returned as Spain manager, having stepped down last June to care for his sick daughter, and takes charge as the second edition of the overly-complicated Nations League gets under way.
The Germans are out to set the record straight after finishing bottom of their section – behind France and Holland – in the inaugural tournament, while La Rioja missed out on a finals spot by ending as runners-up to England.
How do the bookies view it?
Germany, unbeaten in the last two meetings, are favourites at 11-8 with bet365, while a Spain win pays 39-20 at Unibet and and the draw is a 12-5 chance at Betfair.
Betting angles
Spain are unbeaten in 11 matches, but were held to draws in Norway and Sweden. Clean sheets haven't been their strong suit away from home though, with seven of their last eight matches on the road seeing both teams score – the only side they kept goalless was minnows Malta.
So both teams to score looks a good place to start at the decent price of 7-10 with Betway.
And while the Germans are without Bayern and Leipzig players, they still have a frightening array of pace at their disposal, with Sane, Kai Havertz, Julian Brandt and Timo Werner all set to start.
Even in Germany's last defeat, they bagged a couple in going down 4-2 to Holland. They are now on a run of nine successive games of scoring at least twice, and can make it 10 in a row at 6-5 with bet365.
A home win with both teams scoring also tempts at 15-4 with bet365, while I like Joachim Low's men in the draw no bet market at 4-5 with Betfred.
This UEFA Nations League match between Germany and Spain will be played on Sep 3, 2020 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Germany vs Spain prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
