Only two managers in the history of the German national team had failed to win their first two matches before Jurgen Klopp, so he will be keen to avoid becoming the first to fail on the first three attempts when Germany welcome Serbia.
The German manager said in an interview that the poor start does not worry him, and he would rather have the team develop over the long term.
Given his track record, we can expect Germany to become a well-oiled machine over time, but Die Nationalelf cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to have any hope of success in this tournament.
Germany looked better against Greece than they did against the Netherlands, but once again failed to create anything of substance in the final third. The visitors had just one shot on target, and that was enough for a goal and a 1-0 victory.
Given Serbia’s poor form, this match looks like the hosts’ best chance of securing a win in this group. The Eagles have suffered seven defeats in their last 10 matches, having also lost their first two in the UNL.
How the bookies view it: Third time’s the charm for Klopp
It comes as no surprise that Germany are the overwhelming favourites on home soil, although that didn’t help them against Greece.
This time the gap is even wider, with Germany available at 1/4, a draw at 15/4 and Serbia at 13/2.
Recent head-to-head: One of the youngest European rivalries
Germany and Serbia have met only three times since 2006, when Serbia declared its independence. The Germans have played dozens of matches against Yugoslavia, but we are not concerned with those here.
What is interesting is that, after these three matches, the statistics are perfectly even, with one win each and one draw.
Players to watch: Pavlovic to dominate the midfield
Jurgen Klopp is expected to make significant changes to the line-up, and this is not because they failed to win their first two matches. That was the original plan, which involved calling up as many as 44 players.
In my view, we’ll see Aleksandar Pavlovic in midfield for Germany; he’s not only an exceptional fighter but also in good form. The market I’ll be watching is the number of tackles, and over 1.5 for him looks very good to me.
Probable line-ups
Germany: Atubolu, Raum, Schlotterbeck, Thiaw, Treu, Janelt, Pavlovic, Wirtz, Gnabry, El Mala, Woltemade
Serbia: Petrovic, Nedeljkovic, Gudelj, Erakovic, Pavlovic, Kostic, Tadic, Lukic, Stankovic, Zivkovic, Jovic
Anything else catch the eye?
Clearly, Germany’s defence isn’t flawless, and they sometimes make costly mistakes that cost them entire matches. Serbia are in even worse form, but far more convincing in the final third, so there’s some value in expecting goals.
I find it hard to expect a dominant victory simply because I watched Germany’s previous two matches and they didn’t really convince me. But Jurgen Klopp plans to rotate a large part of his squad, so against Serbia we’ll see a completely different line-up, and that makes the prediction even more difficult.
If they struggle to score, I reckon there’s a good chance they’ll win plenty of corners again. Against Greece, they won eight around all their missed chances, so their pressure is expected to be even greater against Serbia.
GambleAware