After months of anticipation, Germany and Poland are finally about to begin their Euro 2025 campaigns when they face off in their opening Group C encounter.
For Germany, this tournament is all about securing a record extending 9th Euros crown and ending their wait for another major trophy.
They came close at the last Euros in 2022, but they were defeated in the final by England, before they suffered a humiliating group-stage exit at the 2023 World Cup.
With their last triumph being the Olympic Gold medal won back in 2016, Die Nationalelf are in the midst of their longest title drought in their illustrious history, and they are desperate to finally restore their place at the top of the international game.
Meanwhile, their rivals Poland are making their tournament debut, and they will be hoping to cause a major upset at this championships.
At 27th in the world, Poland are the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament.
However, despite their lowly ranking it would be perilous to underestimate, as they have an attacking including one of the most lethal strikers in Europe, whilst they have defensive solidarity to keep clean sheets against top teams, as they demonstrated when they defeated Austria 1-0 in both legs in the playoffs to qualify for the tournament.
The two sides met in the qualification process, and Germany prevailed in both encounters with 3-1 victory in Gdynia before earning a 4-1 win in their home game to secure their spot in Switzerland. However, Poland have rebounded since then, and with both sides unbeaten in 2025 we are perfectly poised for an intriguing contest.
Germany are missing a whole host of key players for this tournament, as legendary striker Alexandra Popp retired from international duty after the last Olympics, while Lena Oberdorf is unavailable after suffering a cruciate ligament injury.
However, despite those absences, Germany are blessed with a squad comprising some of the most elite players in the game, and they will be confident of earning victory and getting their competition off to a perfect start.
They will likely set up in the 4-2-3-1 setup that manager Christian Wück has favoured in recent games, and their star-studded lineup includes Bayern Munich superstars Giulia Gwinn and Franziska Kett at full-back protecting veteran goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger.
Further forward, Sydney Lohmann will bring stability in midfield, while Laura Freigang will provide creative flair and supply chances to striker Lea Schüller.
Klara Bühl and Julie Brand will also bring pace and directness from wide areas to the German attack, which will be crucial if they are to penetrate Poland’s defence.
Based on their previous fixtures, Poland will likely setup in the 4-3-3 system which manager Nina Patalon utilised so effectively to guide them to Switzerland.
West Ham goalkeeper Kinga Szemik will likely start in goal, behind a backline that includes PSG centre-back Paulina Dudek alongside Barcelona’s Emilia Szymczak, who has 10 caps for Poland despite not making her senior debut for her club.
In midfield, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Tanja Pawollek will provide vital stability and experience, whilst Natalia Padilla of Sevilla and Paulina Tomasiak will provide pace and attacking threat on the wings either side of main goal threat Ewa Pajor.
Berger; Gwinn, Minge, Knaak, Kett; Lohmann, Senss; Brand, Freigang, Bühl; Schüller
Szemik; Wiankowska, Dudek, Szymczak, Zieniewicz; Kamczyk, Pawollek, Achcińska; Padilla, Pajor, Tomasiak
Germany: Klara Bühl
If Germany are to make a perfect start to this competition, then electric winger Klara Bühl will likely be instrumental to their display.
An attacking winger who loves to take on defenders, Bühl creates a plethora of chances for her team. Last season, the 24-year-old collected a league high 14 assists in the Bundesliga, while her seven goals helped Bayern Munich lift a third consecutive title.
Beyond the headline stats, she finished 2nd in the league rankings for successful carries into the penalty area, whilst she led the league for both shot creating actions per match and key passes.
These impressive underlying metrics show her creative influence on Bayern Munich, and if she transfers that to the international stage then she will be instrumental in Germany’s quest for glory.
Poland: Ewa Pajor
Any hopes Poland harbour of upsetting their neighbours will likely require inspiration from captain, talisman and all-time top goal scorer Ewa Pajor.
Pajor has regularly proved her worth to this Poland side, as she scored the crucial goal in the playoffs against Austria to send her team to Switzerland, whilst her 67 other international strikes show she knows how to find the back of the net for her country.
Further, Pajor plays a major role in leading a Poland team which hasn’t played at a major tournament, and her experience of playing in big matches will be vital if Poland are to thrive against Germany and throughout the tournament.
At club level, Pajor had an outstanding debut season for FC Barcelona. She scored 43 goals across 46 appearances in all competitions, as La Blaugrana secured a domestic double and reached the final of the Champions League.
If she can continue her scintillating form onto the international stage, then she may be able to inspire Poland to produce a shock result.
Where is the game being played? The match will take place at the Arena St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland
What time is kick-off? The game will start at 20:00 (GMT) on Friday 4th July
How can I watch? The game will be broadcast live on ITV1 for viewers in the UK