Germany vs Australia: International Soccer Friendly Schedule, Stream, Predictions & Preview
Get ready, soccer fans: another round of international friendly play kicks off with Germany and Australia getting ready to collide in a much-anticipated soccer friendly match on Wednesday.
This is a pretty interesting matchup considering the fact that these two nations don't play each other very often. The last time these two soccer teams faced off was in a 2011 friendly, when Australia was victorious 2-1. Germany is 2-0 in FIFA World Cup play against Australia having defeated them in the 1974 and 2010 World Cups.
Let's preview the game and see who has the advantage:
Germany (1)
What a FIFA World Cup it was for Germany. They defeated Lionel Messi and Argentina 1-0 to win the tournament for the first time since 1990, when they also beat Argentina 1-0. It comes as no surprise that Germany is the No. 1-ranked national team in the world. This will be Germany's first international friendly since they defeated Spain in November 2014.
German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will not be starting in net. Instead, Ron-Robert Zieler of Hannover 96 will get the start. Team captain Bastian Schweinsteiger leads the German defense along with Toni Kroos and Mesut Özil. Germany is hailed for having arguably the best defensive unit in the world.
Bayern Munich star Thomas Müller is the team's most skill forward, and he had himself quite a World Cup. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he led all scorers with five goals, and in 2014 he found the net five times as well. Only James Rodriguez of Colombia had more goals in 2014.
Germany will also benefit from having home field advantage.
Australia (65)
The Australian National Team is the 65th-ranked squad in the world, and the No.4-ranked team in the Asian Football Confederation behind Iran, Japan and South Korea. After qualifying or competing at just one World Cup tournament from 1930 to 2002, Australia has successfully qualified for the last three.
Unfortunately for Australia, they will be without their best offensive weapon. Tim Cahill will not be playing against Germany because of an Achilles injury. Cahill is the all-time leading scorer for the Australian National Team at the World Cup level. Head coach Ange Postecoglou will have to find a way to get others involved efficiently.
To make matters more difficult, Robbie Kruse will also not be playing.
Matthew Ryan is expected to get the start in goal for Australia. Similar to Germany, Australia hasn't played an international friendly since November, either. It won't be an easy contest, but this is the type of game that gets you ready for global competition later on.
Schedule, Where to Watch
Germany and Australia will face off on Wednesday, March 25 at 3:30 p.m. EST. The game will be played at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion in Kaiserslautern, Germany. You can view a live game stream here.
Predictions
Australia will put up a good fight, but Germany will be just too much to handle. Germany's defense is as elite as it gets, and even their call-ups can get the job done when needed. This will be a good test for Zieler in goal against an average Australian squad.
Germany wins 3-1
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