Germany vs. Slovakia: Die Mannschaft set for frustrating test

Germany's path to a second consecutive international final has the World Cup champions up against a stubborn Slovakia side who many anticipate will employ a similar cautious approach that saw the country creep into the knockout stage.

While Slovakia's style against England might be described as a negative approach, there's no doubting its success in holding a superior English side goalless during the group stage finale.

Its approach, however, won't be foreign to Joachim Low's men, who are expected to ease into the quarter-finals, especially after Germany's feisty affair against a frustrating Northern Ireland squad.

Projected lineups

Germany starting XI: Neuer; Kimmich, Boateng, Hummels, Hector; Kroos, Khedira; Müller, Ozil, Gotze; Gomez

Slovakia starting XI: Kozacik; Pekarik, Skrtel, Durica, Hubocan; Kucka, Pecovsky, Mak, Hamsík, Weiss; Duda

Injuries and suspensions

Germany:

Injuries: Jerome Boateng

Quarter-final suspension if booked vs. Slovakia: Boateng, Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil

Positive news out of training should extinguish doubt over Jerome Boateng's place in the heart of Germany's back line. More concerning, however, is the threat of losing Mesut Ozil to a yellow cards in the following fixture. Ozil, who's hardly one to show signs of malice on the pitch, played a vital role in the opening three games, and could find himself on the bench by halftime if Germany is able to pull away in the opening 45 minutes to ensure his availability in the quarters.

Slovakia:

Injuries: Dusan Svento, Tomas Hubocan, Robert Mak

Quarter-final suspension if booked vs. Germany: Jan Durica, Patrik Hrosovsky, Juraj Kucka, Mak, Viktor Pecovsky, Martin Skrtel, Vladimír Weiss

What to watch

German defence

One would think addressing a lack of potency in attack would take precedence in training for a Germany side advancing to the knockout round as one of two teams to avoid conceding a goal in France.

That might have been the case had it not been for a series of nervy moments and chances that ended up inches away from costing Low’s side valuable points.

With Boateng’s expected inclusion after an injury scare threatened his place in the first team, Germany should have its top centre-back pairing at the heart of a defence that’s struggled to truly find its bearings.

Joshua Kimmich's inclusion in the win over Northern Ireland is another confidence boost for Germany. His play up the flanks and competency in the final third provides a threat in attack that puts an already stacked German team over the top.

Mario Gomez up front?

Mario Gomez, whose days in the national team seemed like a thing of the past, turned out to be a surprisingly effective option for the Germans against Ireland.

With Gomez in the fold, the German attack enjoyed a sustained period of pressure throughout the win, putting on a performance where few would have been surprised if the defending World Cup champs cruised to a lopsided triumph instead of a 1-0 win.

Another possible shakeup could see Mario Gotze lose his starting role to Andre Schurrle after the Wolfsburg winger's proficiency during his appearances as a substitute in each of the opening matches, where he replaced the struggling Bayern Munich player twice.

Can Hamsik escape German pressure

To an obviously smaller degree compared to Portugal and its reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo, Marek Hamsík is the engine that's played a critical role in vaulting Slovakia into the Round of 16. Whether he can inflict his influence Saturday depends on his ability to evade the extra attention he's bound to face as Germany will undoubtedly concentrate its defensive efforts on containing his creative influence.

Prediction:

German tempers will be tested against a Slovakian side determined to throw Die Mannschaft out of rhythm. But a scenario where Slovakia tops Low's men is almost impossible to comprehend as a massive gulf in class between the two should ease any doubts early when Germany puts the match out of reach.

German 3, Slovakia 0