The two strongest teams of Group C go head to head tomorrow as they fight to claim the top spot of the group.

Both teams won their previous games, and will be fired up ahead of the match.

The last time the two met Poland emerged as 2-0 winners. Joachim Löw’s Germany will be eager to gain revenge on their rivals with a win to remain top of the group.

First impressions count

The competition kicked off last week, and Poland opened the action of Group C along with Northern Ireland. After a fairly one sided 90 minutes, Poland claimed the three points thanks to a second half goal from Arkadiusz Milik.

Despite dominating the play, Northern Ireland didn’t lie down, with several chances to equalise during the game. It took the Poles a while to break down the rigid defence of Northern Ireland, and they seemed to apply continuous pressure from one dimension; as their threat was cancelled out time after time before Milik broke the deadlock.

If Adam Nawalka’s team are to defeat the German’s they must create a plan B in attack, as their direct switch of play to Milik and Lewandowski was fairly ineffective in their opening game.

The Germans had a similar issue, more through a problem of who and who wasn't on the pitch. Löw decided to go without an out-and-out striker, while the prolific figure of Mario Gomez sat on the bench. Mario Götze played at the peak of attack in the false nine role of the familiar German 4-2-3-1 formation.

It would be fair to say that this approach was not one of success, as Götze’s lack of a clinical edge - mainly due to his lack of play time due to injury and squad rotation at Bayern Munich - was difficult even for the brilliance of Mesut Özil and Toni Kroos to create chances for. It may also be time for Löw to introduce Leroy Sané or André Schürrle into the mix of things, as it was evident that die Nationalmannschaft were lacking that extra burst of pace in attack.

Can Nawalka's side claim an unlikely victory? | Image source: PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images
Can Nawalka's side claim an unlikely victory? | Image source: PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images

Players to watch

Kroos had a magnificent game at the heart of the midfield, playing intricate passes that completely cheated the Ukrainian defence, leaving plenty of space for the attackers ahead of him. The German also has the ability to dictate the tempo and direction of play and is often identifiable as the off and on switch in the team; Kroos control.

A small spark on the team sheet erupted on the field for Poland in their game against Northern Ireland, as young Bartosz Kapustka gave the Poles an added burst of energy on the field as he played with a point to prove to his boss and the world watching. At the tender age of 19, Kapustka already has eight caps for his country, it was evident to why Nawalka has so much trust in the attacking midfielder. Could he be the one to make the difference against the World Champions?

Mind games from the managers

Joachim Löw has admitted that he considers Poland as “one of the strongest counter-attacking teams” that he’s seen over the last two years in International football. After seeing Germany’s slick second goal last week, Nawalka could be saying the same, but the Polish manager has insisted that his team are “not afraid” of the threat that the World Cup holders can inflict on their opponents.

It is certain to be an entertaining match, two notoriously attack minded powerhouses of European football, battling it out to finish top of Group C ahead of the knock-out rounds ahead.

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