On July 8th 2014, Germany shocked the world as they defeated Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals of their home World Cup to reach the Maracana Stadium showpiece. Joachim Low’s troops were ruthless that day and produced an intense defensive performance under serious pressure in the final to deny Lionel Messi and Argentina a World Cup triumph.
As excitement builds ahead of the much-anticipated 2016 European Championships, world champions Germany are the bookmakers’ choice to win it. So what are the chances of the tournament front-runners being able to handle the expectation and follow up their recent World Cup triumph with European glory this summer?
Obvious bet?
It’s of little surprise that the Germans are heading to France as favourites. They’re renowned for having serious tournament pedigree, and the history books show them to be one of the most successful footballing nations of all time, with four World Cups and three European Championships to their name. What’s more, Die Maanschaft have not finished outside of the top three in a major tournament since 2006. Continue reading
