Although the attention of many football fans has been on the Club World Cup, there remains the not-so-small matter of the U21 European Championship final taking place this Saturday night.
A mouthwatering England vs Germany battle is in prospect at the Stadion Tehelne pole, as the Young Lions attempt to win back-to-back tournaments for the first time since doing so in 1982 and 1984.
Repeat of 2009 finalIt's a repeat of the 2009 final that England lost 4-0, and they play a German side who are in their fourth of the last five finals, and who come into the match in sensational scoring form.
In four of their five games, they've scored at least three goals, and the one match where they scored less was the two they managed against England in the group stage.
Antonio Di Salvo's side are also the only country to win all of their matches so far, and given that they also won eight and drew two of their 10 qualification games, England will know what a tough task they have ahead of them.
U21 European Championship Top GoalscorersOpta by Stats Perform15 goals scored in the tournament is at least five more than any other country, and in Nick Woltemade, Germany have a player who is also at the top of the individual scoring rankings with six goals.
The 23-year-old Stuttgart ace will be looking to add to his tally in order to win the Golden Boot, though he'll be closely followed by England's Harvey Elliott, who already has four goals of his own, including two superb strikes in the semi-final against the Netherlands.
Woltemade has also provided three assists and, with seven attempts on target, is just one behind Mathys Tel's eight.
The former's total of 16 shots in total is two behind the leader, Elliott, indicating that if anyone is to score the winner in this one, it's likely to come from the main protagonist in either team.
England top possession and pass completion chartsInterestingly, for all of Germany's brilliance in front of goal, it's England that have set the bar both in terms of possession stats in the tournament (58.
6%) and pass completion (89.
6%).
Lee Carsley's side were one of the pre-tournament favourites, of course, and their 185 balls recovered to date - the joint most with Italy and 45 of which came via Charlie Cresswell - suggests that they're not just brilliant at keeping holding of the ball, but also winning it back when the need arises.
England U21 Current FormBetopickJames Beadle has been equal to most things in goal, with his 15 saves to date one more than his opposite number on Saturday, Noah Atubolu.
England's group stage loss to Germany will surely be in the backs of their minds as they take to the pitch, though it could be counter-productive to be hell bent on immediate revenge rather than playing their natural game and waiting for opportunities to present themselves.
Germany U21 Current FormBetopickWith Eric Martel having already committed the most fouls in the tournament (17) but generally escaping punishment since he's received just a solitary yellow card, England's purpose could be better served by trying to isolate the 23-year-old and drawing him into some early challenges.
His defensive excellence might well be curtailed somewhat if he's already gone in the referee's notebook, though the Young Lions should also be mindful of his excellent 93.
4% passing accuracy out from the back, which has clearly been beneficial to his side.
Carsley bullish, Di Salvo cautiousBoth coaches are in no doubt as to what's required to come out on top in Saturday's showpiece too.
"It can't be an achievement – even if I am really proud of the lads – just to get to a final.
We want to try to win it.
We believe we can," Carsley noted after England had defeated Spain.
"I have a lot of belief in this squad – the way they approach every training session and how committed and together they are is testament to themselves.
We have a squad who believe we can win, which is important if we are going to go that one step more.
"U21 European Championship final win probabilityOpta by Stats PerformDi Salvo was a little more cautious in his appraisal.
"The group stage match will have no bearing on the final as far as I'm concerned," he said.
"Several games have been played since then.
A final is a final and every team that reaches a final plays to win it.
England have improved and they were very dominant against Spain.
It will be an even game.
"Capacity crowd will expect excitementWhomever doesn't take the initiative in this game will certainly find it difficult to get a foothold, as both teams are equally adept at keeping the opposition at bay if required.
What makes this final exciting is that the managers will want their charges playing on the front foot from kick-off, rather than sitting back and waiting for mistakes to happen.
With a capacity crowd expected too, the spectacle could very well live up to the pre-match hype.
Jason PettigroveBetopick
