Gareth Southgate said Germany remain the benchmark for England as a result of their trophy-winning pedigree as he prepared his side for Tuesday's Nations League clash in Munich.
Germany's coach Hansi Flick said on Monday that his team would need to improve against England's 'extraordinary players' in a Nations League clash in Munich on Tuesday.
Watch as Germany needed a Joshua Kimmich equaliser as they came from behind to draw 1-1 with a much-changed Italy team in the UEFA Nations League in Bologna on Saturday.
A tired England side went down to a surprise 1-0 defeat in Hungary in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday, while Germany had to come from behind to draw 1-1 with an inexperienced Italy team.
Germany and Spain will clash at this year's World Cup after Friday's draw in Doha placed the two former winners in the same group, while geopolitical rivals the United States and Iran were also drawn together.
Denmark's Christian Eriksen made an emotional goal-scoring return to international football on Saturday as England, Germany and Spain carved out friendly victories.
Four-time champions Germany became the first country to join hosts Qatar in booking a spot at the 2022 Fifa World Cup with a 4-0 thrashing of North Macedonia in Skopje on Monday.
England, Spain and Germany recorded big wins in European World Cup qualifying this past Sunday, while Italy were held to a second consecutive draw in which they equalled the international record of 36 unbeaten games.
African nations Ivory Coast and Egypt sealed their spot in the last eight at the Olympics, while South Africa crashed out with three defeats after a 3-0 loss against Mexico on Wednesday.
Mexico began their Olympic campaign in style with a 4-1 win over France, while South Africa conceded a narrow 1-0 defeat to hosts Japan in their opening Group A encounters on Thursday afternoon. (more…)