England renew hostilities with bitter rivals at Wembley knowing Germany have won on their last two visits to the Old and New stadiums. Since the turn of the millennium honours have never been even between these footballing powerhouses. Roy Hodgson has already named his starting line-up, which contains only two survivors from the team that began the 2-0 defeat by Chile. Joe Hart returns in goal despite being dropped by club side Manchester City following a series of high profile mistakes this term. Kyle Walker and Ashley Cole come in to the fullback berths after sitting Friday out and being an unused substitute respectively. Injury to Phil Jones means Manchester United teammate Chris Smalling partners Phil Jagielka, who in turn comes in for Gary Cahill, in central defence. Lions captain Steven Gerrard returns too in midfield alongside Tom Cleverley. Spurs winger Andros Townsend and Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge come into attack alongside survivors Adam Lallana (Southampton) and Wayne Rooney. We also know that Germany will rest regulars Philipp Lahm, Manuel Neuer and Mesut Ozil as coach Joachim Low intends to give fringe players the chance to impress. According to the Daily Telegraph, Borussia Dortmund keeper Roman Weidenfeller is expected to make his long awaited senior international debut in goal at the age of 33. Hamburg defender Heiko Westermann may get a run out in defence alongside Arsenal's Per Mertesacker after recently returning to the international fold. Borussia Monchengladbach forward Max Kruse could lead the line in the absence of joint record scorer Miroslav Klose. Bearing all this in mind, we look at five tactical battles which could prove key to determining the outcome of the match and bragging rights.
Jamie Clark is a qualified Web Journalist after undergoing professional training at the University of Sheffield. A prolific and accredited sports writer, he also enjoys classic comedy, historic fiction, 80s music and heritage.
