England vs Germany U21 EURO final preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, possible line-ups

England will face Germany in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final in Slovakia on Saturday 28 June.

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local U21 EURO broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

History will be made when these traditional European powerhouses go head to head for the silverware in Bratislava on Saturday. Both nations have lifted the trophy three times – England from four previous finals, Germany from five – and the winner will only be one shy of the tournament record of five successes held jointly by Spain and Italy.

The top scorers in qualifying with 41 goals, England edged through the group stage in second place with just one victory, in their opener against Czechia, from their three games. Lee Carsley's charges went through the gears in the knockout phase though, beating Spain 3-1 in the last eight before a Harvey Elliott double secured a 2-1 success over Netherlands in the semi-finals.

Germany head into this decider unbeaten throughout the entire campaign and as the only team with a 100% record at the finals. Antonio Di Salvo's side eased through the group section thanks to victories over Slovenia, Czechia and England then beat nine-man Italy 3-2 after extra time in a last-eight thriller. They returned to their imperious best when dispatching France 3-0 in the semis.

The statistics confirm that the two best teams in the tournament have reached this showpiece. Germany are the top scorers at the finals with 15 goals and have the tournament's leading scorer in Nick Woltemade, whose six strikes put him two clear of his nearest rival, England's Elliott. Meanwhile, the Young Lions top the rankings for possession (58.6%) and passing accuracy (89.6%) across the finals.

Two of those Germany goals – from Ansgar Knauff and Nelson Weiper – came in their 2-1 win against England in the group stage, and there is a further good omen for Di Salvo's men in the fact Germany overcame the Young Lions 4-0 in the only previous U21 final between these countries back in 2009.

Possible line-ups

England: Beadle; Hinshelwood, Quansah, Cresswell, Livramento; Scott, Anderson; Hutchinson, McAtee, Elliott; Stansfield

Germany: Atubolu; Collins, Oermann, Arrey-Mbi, Brown; Nebel, Martel, Reitz; Knauff, Woltemade, Weiper

Road to the final

England

Qualifying Group F winners: P10 W8 D1 L1 F41 A6
Group stage results (2nd in Group B): 3-1 vs Czechia, 0-0 vs Slovenia, 1-2 vs Germany
Quarter-finals: 3-1 vs Spain
Semi-finals: 2-1 vs Netherlands

Germany

Qualifying Group D winners: P10 W8 D2 L0 F35 A10
Group stage results (1st in Group B): 3-0 vs Slovenia, 4-2 vs Czechia, 2-1 vs England
Quarter-finals: 3-2aet vs Italy
Semi-finals: 3-0 vs France

View from the camps

Lee Carsley, England coach: "I thought we would be there. I wasn't sure they [Germany] would be there. I have a lot of belief with this team – they are so exciting to watch, they play without any inhibition, they attack teams, they play with control. We have a real resilience [when] keeping the ball out of the box and the goal, and hopefully we can take that into tomorrow."

Harvey Elliott, England midfielder: "We want to do it for everyone who couldn't be here, ourselves, the supporters who are here and those back home. We see it all and we're so thankful. One last push and hopefully we can be champions again."

Alex Scott, England midfielder: "It's always tough coming to these major tournaments when you're England – we know the pressure that comes with. We had a tough start and didn't play as well as we thought we could. Then we turned it on in the quarters and semis and, with one more final push, hopefully we can lift the trophy."

Antonio Di Salvo, Germany coach: "I have been challenged during every match, as have the team. Every game has been at a higher level. We beat England in the group stage but this is a new game and there is no clear favourite here. England are a top team. They have improved throughout the tournament.

"Lee Carsley said after the group game that they would see us in the final. That is indeed what's happened and I am looking forward to the final."

Nick Woltemade, Germany striker: "It’s a unique opportunity to win this, and this is something we think about. It's not a game we will be in that often. The U21s will be over for us soon and we're really looking forward to this game... It's the only time in my life I can win the U21 title so that's what I want to do. We have played a number of games together and we've overcome difficult moments, had successes and you can see we are confident."

Nnamdi Collins, Germany defender: "With the international team, this will be by far the biggest game in my career. All of my games are big, but this is going to be very big, for all of us. I'm very hyped."