Germany’s World Cup-winning coach may turn to Leroy Sané to enliven a blunted attack knowing his legacy is on the line
Given the new bout of soul searching for which
Germany are bracing themselves, a good omen never did anyone much harm. They have never lost against a Portugal side containing
Cristiano Ronaldo and in fact it gets even better: the record reads played four, won four, with an aggregate in their favour of 11 goals to three.
That tally suggests a freewheeling spirit Joachim Löw could do with rekindling when they meet again, for the first time in seven years, on Saturday. A win is not essential to their advancement in Euro 2020: the fact they finish their Group F campaign against a workaday Hungary sees to that. But Germany need to show they can topple another of the tournament’s front runners, preferably with a display of ambition and brio. Much less, and question marks will continue to hover well into next week.