This is the business end of Euro 2024, and the games are a higher tariff. Mistakes are fatal, the opponents will be unforgiving.
For hosts Germany, this is the highest hurdle to overcome if the dream of a win on home soil becomes realistic.
That is because the Spain team they will face in the quarter-final looks polished in every facet. The starting eleven is oozing with quality and youth, and the midfield is technically streets ahead of every opponent they have dismantled.
Jamal Musiala is having an enjoyable tournament, however. An emphatic goal in their triumphing 2-0 victory against Denmark in the last 16 summed up his stellar showing this summer.
This game has the hallmarks of a must-see knockout football fixture. Two elite performers, the best of this tournament, facing off, albeit a bit too early.
Based on the performances of both nations, this would have made a deserved and top-quality final.
The winning team on Friday could well lift the trophy in Berlin. Who will make the difference in this heavyweight encounter?
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Formation and Tactical Setup
Germany
The 4-2-3-1 set-up has favoured head coach Julian Nagelsmann throughout this tournament, and there has not been much shift in personnel. This is not expected to change, once again.
Positional rotations have been prevalent in midfield. Despite the formation, Toni Kroos has operated centrally as the deep-lying playmaker while Robert Andrich and Ilkay Gundogan have linked the ball with the wide players.
Gundogan has been a number ten though and is often found flirting on the edge of the box anticipating the ball path. Often unmarkable to the opposition, he often ghosts into the box and finds himself with chances in front of goal, such as against Hungary in the group stage.
Kai Havertz is another enigma that Spain has to figure out. With unpredictable runs, whether for the ball or a decoy for teammates, he is an effective frontman at the beginning of the game before the more potent Niclas Fullkrug is introduced.
The main team choice which Nagelsmann has to make is whether to start Florian Wirtz or Leroy Sane. They provide different attacking options, yet both have been inconsistent for Deutschland.
A pacey winger might cause greater trouble to the high-pressing Spain but Wirtz will be technically more adept when the Germans are pinned back. Neither are terrible options, but starting the Bayer Leverkusen man and introducing Sane against a tiring Spanish backline could be more effective.
Spain
Reminiscent of the great Euro 2008 and 2012 teams, the Spanish will opt for a 4-3-3 again. Luis de la Fuente has experimented a lot since joining but has now stricken the perfect balance based on the personnel.
The aggression of this team is the closest a team has looked to a top Premier League side. Though it has been successful, they often leave space at the back.
Georgia found that out, and while they lacked the quality to defend across the 90 minutes there were plenty of occasions where they had outnumbered the Spanish on the counterattack.
With the quality of Germany, that approach might be more cautious in this game, particularly with the pressure of the fixture.
The midfield has been the start of every successful move for La Roja in this tournament. Fabian Ruiz has particularly made a difference. With two goals and assists apiece, Fabian has proved vital to the positive output in attack.
Rodri needs no introduction. He wins games from deep midfield and is one of the greatest in world football. His goal against Georgia displayed his thick catalogue of tricks, and Germany might as well not bother to attempt to stop him.
Sixteen-year-old Lamine Yamal and Athletic Bilbao man Nico Williams are perfect modern-day wingers. Their agility and unpredictability are a full-backs nightmare. Antonio Rudiger is a fantastic player one-on-one and has to be top of his game to deny the Spanish onslaught.
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Toni Kroos vs Rodri
Ok, they will not face off directly, but these two performing well in Stuttgart is crucial for their team. No pressure, lads.
How Toni Kroos is not feeling the pressure that each of these games could be the last in his illustrious football career is boggling. The standard that he is playing at is still ludicrous and has easily been the anchor to Germany's success.
The perfectly pinged long balls and incisive line-cutting passes are magical. The vision is extraordinary, and his ability to read the game is second to none.
It is a massive shame if this is his last dance in football. Spain will be weary of his ability, and if he can pick out Jamal Musiala and the other wide players at the rate he has been, his nation and career might continue.
On the other hand, Rodri will be required for his defensive abilities rather than attacking. Maintaining possession and intercepting German assaults before they reach the final third is crucial to a stable game for the side in red.
The long ball is used less for Rodri, however. Short passes to Pedri and Fabian help link with the wingers and keep the attack alive. Possession is important to chance creation for Luis de la Fuente.
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How will the game be won?
This will have the characteristics of a heavyweight boxing match. The first few rounds will have both exchanging light blows, attempting to find out about the other and approaching cautiously. Engrossing, tactical and tense.
It is the players who make the difference in these fixtures. Can someone be the hero for their country?
This fixture is flurried with fantastic footballers. Appeasing on the eye they are unquestionably difficult to stop.
The hosts will be favourites – because they are hosts. Despite that, naivety could be their downfall. Their guard needs to be up because this Spain team has the manpower to sink absolutely anyone.
