Germany vs. Spain will be a battle!

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Bayern Munich star Leroy Sané can look at Germany’s upcoming game against Spain in the EURO 2024 tournament and know the stakes will be extremely high between the two traditional powers.

“We know that Spain attacks high, but that also gives us space. We’ll see how everything else will work out on Friday. Spain are playing with a lot of confidence at the moment, but they also know it won’t be easy for them. Two very strong teams are facing each other. If we have the momentum in our side, we can really hurt the Spaniards,” Sané said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “It’s definitely important (for forwards to track back), it helps our defenders. It’s usually easier to win the ball back if we do that. It’s also a good feeling for the team. For me as an attacker, it’s also a good feeling, a kind of security. It also shows that we all want to defend together and not concede a goal.

“Spain do that very well (at pressing). Especially when they win the ball, they immediately look to play forward. With the two fast wingers, they have gained an additional weapon. We know what their strengths are. Both are two strong teams, so you could say that (that it is a potential final). But there are other good teams in the tournament. That’s why we shouldn’t put too much emphasis on that.”

Sané started the last match vs. Denmark, but does not know if Julian Nagelsmann will call his number again. The decision will likely come down to Sané vs. Florian Wirtz.

“I can say that it’s not yet certain whether I will play from the start on Friday. It was a good week of training for me. I was really happy to be in the starting eleven [against Denmark]. It did me good to play for a longer period of time,” Sané said. “Julian communicates very openly and directly. Something can always happen in a tournament, things may not always go perfectly. The starting eleven can always change. But each of us accepts the coach’s decisions very well. That’s what defines us right now.

“What I bring with me are the runs behind the backline. That creates space in the middle and more movement for the opposing team. Then the opponents would know that they not only have to push forward, but also make sure that the ball doesn’t get behind their backline. Jamal does that too, Ilkay and Flo also have these strengths.”

In any event, Sané is just happy that he feels healthy enough to play.

“The situation was unclear. I didn’t know how long the injury would last. But now I’m sitting here and I’m glad that everything worked out and that it was enough for the Euros. I feel good, I didn’t have any pain in the past few games. Before that, I sometimes had to recover from a game for five or six days.”