With first hosting second, this clash presents a major opportunity for Antonio Di Salvo’s side to claw back control of the group as the qualification campaign enters its decisive phase.
Greece come into the fixture in flawless form. A commanding 5-0 victory over Malta in Levadia last time out made it six wins from six, underlining their dominance so far. Lugano forward Georgios Koutsias was the standout performer, netting a hat-trick to take his tally to five goals in qualifying. Konstantinos Goumas and Dimitrios Kaloskamis added the finishing touches in what was another statement display.
Head coach Giannis Taousianis is expected to have a full squad at his disposal, with no injury concerns reported following that win. Despite a historically poor record against Germany – just one victory since the turn of the century – this current generation of Greek talent looks determined to secure automatic qualification by holding onto top spot.
Germany, however, are in equally strong form. They produced a convincing 3-0 win over Northern Ireland in Braunschweig, with Nicolo Tresoldi continuing his outstanding campaign. The Hannover striker struck twice in the first half to move onto six goals in six qualifiers, making him the competition’s leading scorer. Nelson Weiper added a late third to cap off a dominant performance.
There is just the one injury update so far for Di Salvo’s squad, with full-back Max Finkgräfe withdrawing early due to a precaution, although he didn’t feature vs. Northern Ireland.
This fixture pits two of the most in-form sides in the group against each other. Greece edged the reverse meeting 3-2 in Jena back in October, and they remain unbeaten at home since 2023. Germany, meanwhile, boast an impressive away record, having not lost on the road since September 2022.
Greece U21 (4-3-3): Botis (GK) – Koutsogoulas, Kalogeropolous, Alexiou, Allen – Kaloskamis, Almyras, Goumas – Chatsidis, Koutsias, Kostoulas
Germany U21 (4-3-3): Seimen (GK) – Gechter, Quarshie, Jeltsch, Ullrich – Kemlein, Kömür, Bischof – Gruda, Tresoldi, El Mala