Dugout Discussion – Germany vs Slovakia

Germany and Slovakia go head-to-head in Sunday’s second fixture as the Euro 2016 knockout stages pass the halfway point.

Joachim Low’s men dropped just two points on their way to winning Group C. Despite scoring just three times, the World Champions still boasted plenty of threat – they fired more shots inside the box than any other country during the group stages.

Germany were even more impressive at the back. One of only two sides not to concede in the first three matches, they’ve allowed their opponents a mere five shots inside the box so far – the most resilient backline record at the tournament.

Slovakia, meanwhile, arrive in the Round of 16 after finishing third in Group B, thanks to a win and a draw in their final couple of matches.

Arguably, they’ve turned in just one impressive performance so far – a 2-1 win over Russia where Marek Hamsik and Vladimir Weiss bagged a goal and assist apiece.

Certainly if Jan Kozak’s outfit are to make any headway, they’ll need to improve upon their display against England last time out – they managed just four attempts during that goalless draw, with Roy Hodgson’s side firing 29 unsuccessful attempts by comparison.