Germany vs Russia Predictions

Germany’s World Cup nightmare continued into their Nations League campaign, and they’re currently on course for relegation from the top tier of the competition. They face a make or break encounter with the Netherlands on Monday, but first they meet Russia in this friendly on Thursday night. The 2014 World Cup winners have had a difficult few months, but will they be able to move away from their nightmare in Russia this summer with a victory in this friendly?

Germany head into this clash in Leipzig reeling from their two October defeats. Losses to France and Holland have left them bottom of their Nations League group, and increased pressure on boss Joachim Low. His time in charge was extended after a thorough review of their failings this summer, but so far we’ve seen little evidence that Low is turning things around. Despite a plethora of incredibly talented players, the Germans are really struggling to pick up results. If they fail to turn things around in November’s matches, then we could see big changes ahead of the qualifiers starting in March.

Meanwhile, Russia are on the up. They were quarter-finalists at the World Cup, and since then they’ve excelled in the Nations League. They’re already comfortably clear at the top of their group, and they could win it without kicking a ball on Saturday evening. They look set for promotion to the top tier, and they could well be passing the Germans on their way by. Will the visitors continue their great form with a shock victory at the Red Bull Arena?

Germany have shown clear issues in their last few games. They kicked off the Nations League with a 0-0 draw against France, but they really dug in to gain that clean sheet. Since then, Peru, France and Holland have all found a way past the German defence, as they’ve conceded six times in their last three matches. Russia head here with nine goals in four matches since the World Cup, and they should offer a threat going forward on Thursday.

The hosts have a mixed defensive record in friendlies, having conceded in seven of their last eight outings. They’ve seen both teams score in five of their last six friendlies, conceding in all of those clashes. Their last two home friendlies have seen Peru and Saudi Arabia score here, while throughout the World Cup we saw an unorganized side struggle at the back. We think Russia will build on their scoring form, so we’re backing both teams to score here.