Germany U21s hoping to defend their title

Berlin – After a number of intensive training sessions, friendlies and predictions, the time has finally come for Germany U21s. Stefan Kuntz’s team will start their campaign in Italy and San Marino on Monday evening (17/6/19, 21:00 CEST) against Denmark. “We’re really excited for the tournament to finally get underway, as we’ve worked so hard towards it,” commented Maximilian Mittelstädt, who is one of three Hertha players in the Germany squad, alongside Arne Maier and new signing Eduard Löwen. The holders will also take on Serbia (20/6/19, 21:00) and Austria (23/6/19, 21:00) in Group B. The three group winners plus the best second-placed team will qualify for the semi-finals that will be held in Reggio Emilia and Bologna on June 27th. The final will then take place in Udine on June 30th. The four semi-finalists will also qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, although if England qualify there will be one vacant spot, as Great Britain do not take part in Olympic football tournaments.

There’s still a long way to go before Germany can think about qualifying for the Olympics though. Kuntz’s side is only focusing on their match with Denmark at the moment. “We want to start with a win to build some momentum and not put any pressure on ourselves straight away,” explained Mittelstädt. “We know that Denmark will try to play football and that they like to keep possession. We will be prepared for that.” The Danes have also done their homework ahead of their opening game with the 2017 champions: “Germany qualified without any problems and have recently beaten England, Italy and the Netherlands. They have a strong defence, dynamic midfielders and goalscorers up front. They are strong, but so are we,” stated Niels Frederiksen, the Denmark U21s coach.