France and Germany meet at St. Jakob-Park in Basel this Saturday in arguably the standout quarter-final of this year's Women's Euros. Two of the continent’s powerhouses, both with ambitions of a deep run in the tournament, should combine for an entertaining encounter.
France arrive in strong form, having topped a demanding Group D with a perfect record, outpacing defending champions England and the Netherlands in the process. Laurent Bonadei’s side are a very athletic team with plenty of talent in the forward areas, with contributions from Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Sandy Baltimore and Delphine Cascarino all laying down a marker. There are some injury concerns, with key midfielder Sandie Toletti and goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin both doubtful, but they'll feel they have the depth to cope with most absences. France’s wide play and combination work in the final third has been defining features of their approach.
Germany, eight-time European champions, finished runners-up in Group C after a heavy 4-1 defeat to Sweden, though they had already secured progression with victories over Poland and Denmark. Manager Christian Wuck has had to manage suspensions and absences, notably the loss of Carlotta Wamser and Giuliana Gwinn. Jule Brand has been in superb form, directly contributing to much of Germany’s attacking play, while Lea Schuller and Sjoeke Nysken provide quality and experience through the spine of the side. Germany’s pedigree in knockout football remains extremely strong, and they will look to draw on that against a resurgent French team that are probably the more fancied of the two here.
Some would argue that France have been the standout team of this tournament so far, and if not, it's hard to argue that any side other than Spain have topped them. Carlotta Wamser will be a huge miss for the Germans, but even without her absence, responding to such a heavy defeat against Sweden would take some doing against this French team. France have the wind in their sails and the quality to back it up, and it's tough to look beyond a huge win for Les Bleus in this one.
France 3-1 Germany
