Spain have largely held the upper hand in their UEFA European Under-21 Championship encounters with Germany and will hope the pattern continues when the teams meet for the sixth time in the competition at the Netanya Stadium.

Previous meetings
• The countries last met in the group stage of the 2009 finals in Sweden, when they played out a goalless draw in Gothenburg on matchday one. While Germany went on to finish second in Group B and eventually claimed the title, Spain were third in the section and eliminated.

• The teams at the Gamla Ullevi on 15 June 2009 were:
Spain: Asenjo, Sergio Sánchez, Chico, Torrejón, Monreal, Javi Martínez, García, Sisi (Capel 70), Granero (León 87), Jurado, Bojan (Xisco 82).
Germany: Neuer, Beck, Höwedes, Boateng, Boenisch (Schmelzer 38), Khedira, Aogo, Castro (Ebert 85), Marin (Ben-Hatira 70), Özil, Dejagah.

• That was the sides' first competitive fixture since they were paired together in qualifying for the 1994 finals when Spain won both games. On 15 December 1992 Heiko Herrlich gave Germany a 37th-minute lead in Osnabruck, but second-half goals from Oscar García (48) and Thomas Christiansen (65) took the points to Spain.

• It was a similar story in the reverse fixture in Cordoba on 14 December 1993, where Christian Nerlinger put the visitors in front in the 14th minute. Two goals from Julen Guerrero (55, 79) turned the match around, and Antonio Acosta quickly added a third (80) to seal Spain's win. Spain duly went into the quarter-finals, where they overcame Greece, but ultimately had to settle for third place having lost to Portugal in the last four.

• West Germany lost the first leg of their 1982 quarter-final 1-0 to Spain in Santa Cruz de Tenerife but prevailed 2-0 in the Augsburg return, their sole competitive success against the Spanish. The Soviet Union were then defeated in the two-legged semi-finals but West Germany lost 5-4 on aggregate to England in the final.

• Between their 1993 and 2009 competitive meetings the teams met in three friendlies, beginning with a goalless draw in San Fernando in 1995. Germany were 3-1 winners in Celle five years later but Spain turned the tables in Sa Pobla in the last such fixture in 2003, when goals from Albert Riera and José Antonio Reyes helped them to a 3-1 victory.

Match background
• Germany failed to qualify for Denmark last time out having lifting the trophy in Sweden in 2009 where England were defeated 4-0 in the final in Malmo. That is Germany's sole U21 triumph, although as West Germany they were runners-up in 1982.

• Germany were eliminated in the group stage of the 2004 and 2006 finals – hosting the former edition – and lost in the quarter-finals in 1990, 1992, 1996 and 1998.

• Spain are in the finals for the third successive edition and will be seeking to repeat their feats of two years ago, when they claimed a third European U21 crown with a 2-0 defeat of Switzerland in Aarhus, Denmark. Spain had previously triumphed in 1986 and 1998, while they were runners-up in 1984 and 1996 and third in 1994 and 2000. They failed to make it beyond the group stage in 2009, however, on what was their first finals appearance in nine years.

Team ties
• Coach Julen Lopetegui was an unused substitute as Spain drew 1-1 against Germany in Chicago at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

• Iker Muniain's Athletic Club eliminated an FC Schalke 04 side including Lewis Holtby, Julian Draxler and Lars Unnerstall in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals. Muniain scored in Athletic's 4-2 first-leg victory; Christoph Moritz was an unused subsitute in both matches. 

• Cristian Tello put two goals past Bernd Leno as FC Barcelona overwhelmed Bayer 04 Leverkusen 7-1 on 7 March 2012 – Tello's UEFA Champions League debut – as Lionel Messi became the first player to score five goals in a match in the competition. Marc Muniesa came on midway through the second half. Karim Bellarabi scored Leverkusen's sole reply at the Camp Nou; Fabian Giefer was their reserve goalkeeper.

• Bellarabi and Leno also featured in the first leg, won 3-1 by Barça. Thiago Alcántara and Isaac Cuenca came on in the second half while Marc Bartra and Sergi Roberto remained on the bench.

• Giefer was in the Leverkusen side that earned a 1-1 draw against David de Gea's Club Atlético de Madrid on matchday six of the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League, taking the German club through and eliminating holders Atlético.

• Leno's Leverkusen were 2-1 home winners against a Valencia CF side who brought on Sergio Canales midway through the second period of their UEFA Champions League group game on 19 October 2011.

• Koke was in the Atlético side that ousted Konstantin Rausch's Hannover 96 in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, winning both matches 2-1.