Germany look to upset favourites Spain

Spain meet Germany in the final of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in the Ullevaal stadium in Oslo today.

Well-documented pedigree
After 12 group matches, and 45 goals, an already memorable tournament has produced two worthy finalists. Spain's pedigree in youth football is well-documented and Sunday's game will see Iñaki Saez looking to end his tenure as Under-19 coach with a bang before he departs to take charge of the full national side.

Saez's thoughts
"I think that reaching the final and especially winning it would be good for my reputation as a football coach and my relationship to the Spanish fans," Saez said. "But the most important thing is that the players are competing against strong teams, and that we have reached the final, which is a kind of experience that all football players would like to have."

Germany 'outsiders'
Germany coach Ulrich Stielike believes that his side are the clear underdogs going into the game. "I see Germany as outsiders in the final," he said. "Spain have more playing power and have one resting day more than us."

Evenly matched
Nevertheless an examination of the sides' group campaigns shows that they are very evenly matched. Both teams won two and drew one of their three games, with Germany scoring eight goals to Spain's seven and conceding four compared to Spain's two.

Kneissel ban
For this game though, Germany will be without Sebastian Kneissel, who received his second yellow card of the tournament against Belgium to earn a one-game ban, while Spain can welcome back defender Ander Murillo, who missed the Slovakia game through suspension.

Key area is midfield
The key to game seems likely to be the midfield area. If Germany can exert the sort of grip on the middle of the pitch that they enjoyed against the Republic of Ireland they may be able to stifle Spain's swift passing moves, cut off the supply line to three-goal hit man Fernando Torres and concentrate on providing chances for their own frontline, which will most likely include two-goal Mike Hanke.

Spain on upward curve
Subduing the Spaniards is easier said than done though, especially as they seem to be building up to their best form at just the right time. "I think that the team is following an upward curve; which is normal since in Spain we are still in the pre-season and the teams and the players are not yet at the peak of their performance," Saez said.

German flexibility
Nevertheless, Germany are a side with much flexibility, and possess strength in depth that may be crucial. "The aims were to show tactical flexibility by not sticking to one system," Stielike said. "We can go from 4-4-2 to 3-4-3 as we did against Belgium. We've been able to change our strategy." Whether this flexibility will be enough to halt the Spanish, only time will tell.