Germany are swarming all over England early on.

Now former Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger wins a header from a corner and it looks like being a tap-in for Thomas Muller at the back post, but Kyle Walker does brilliantly to hook the ball to safety.

Rachel T: Right, now it gets serious. Come on England! #cominghome

Germany flying out of the traps and crack a shot on target in the first minute.

David Raum finds the run of Kai Havertz in the area but the Chelsea man strikes straight at Jordan Pickford, who urges his team-mate to calm down.

Germany v England. Needs no hyping up.

Away we go in Munich.

Both sides in unison take a knee before kick-off.

German national anthem. Banger.

In the top three globally.

Don't @ me.

England

England manager Gareth Southgate tells Channel 4: "Back four is a preference we had earmarked. We needed to get some players through the first game so they were fresh and sharp for tonight.

"Raheem Sterling is hugely important and is ready, they are all ready for tonight. He has got important goals for us having struggled to score for a couple of years. He has come alive and is a massive part of what we do."

On Germany taking knee: "It is an important collective statement, Both countries have vastly multi-cultural populations and both have had issues with that. We are united on that stance together and it is an important show of camaraderie.

"Brazil and Germany have consistently delivered in major tournaments, we have to follow up what we did last summer on their home ground."

Leon Osman
Former Everton midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

England have to get the balance right. They got to make sure that they attack and have to have runners beyond Harry Kane. Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka have got to resist that temptation to come up short running behind Kane.

Go on, any excuse to relive a win over Germany.

This one came last summer at Euro 2020.

When Germany host England in the Nations League tonight, Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate will be hoping his side won't be left reflecting on the one that got away.

Stuttgart-born Jamal Musiala starts for Germany having chosen to represent his birth country rather than England in February 2021, despite having spent much of his childhood in London and impressing in the academies at Southampton and Chelsea.

The 19-year old, who joined Bayern Munich from Chelsea in July 2019, has since become the club's youngest debutant and goalscorer - and youngest Champions League player and scorer.

Musiala, who played for England sides at under-15 to under-21 level, also became the youngest player to represent Germany at a major tournament when he came on against Hungary in the delayed Euro 2020 finals.

Speaking to BBC Sport before the game in Munich, he outlined his desire to achieve even more, his World Cup ambitions, favoured position and why he has benefitted from the footballing culture of both countries.

Read the full piece

Alex Howell
BBC Sport at the Allianz Arena

There are some who are critical of the Nations League as a competition but this game has a big match feel. It could be the rivalry but the fact there are three points up for grabs definitely adds to the occasion.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

England boss Gareth Southgate has welcomed Germany's decision to take the knee before the two teams meet in the Nations League in Munich tonight.

"We're two nations with huge numbers of mixed heritage nationals and I think it's an important sign for everybody, so we welcome that," said Southgate.

"We are united in our beliefs."

Read the full piece

Leon Osman
Former Everton midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

What we're playing against is a team that's embedded in them that they win tournaments and get to the latter stages. Gareth Southgate has been building the team to have the mentality that we can also get to latter stages, win things and know how to get that success. Southgate can bring that to the squad and it's exactly what we need as a country.

Image source, Getty Images

In a show of solidarity, Germany will follow England's lead and take the knee later today in a united stand against racism.

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said: "We will go down on our knees together with the English because we want to support this whole initiative."

This show of support comes after England players were jeered - in a stadium filled mainly with children - for taking the knee in Hungary on Saturday.

Read full piece here

Sam: Respect for German side who’ll be playing in the women’s national team kit tonight to show support ahead of Women’s Euros.

England manager Gareth Southgate says Germany and Brazil "are still the benchmark in terms of countries that have regularly and consistently won tournaments".

Agree or disagree?

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer in Munich

Always a great atmosphere at German stadiums. The fans are well looked after and really get into the occasion.

Plenty of food on the go - so much so that a very nice Germany supporter has just very kindly offered me a selection of his chips. It would have been rude to refuse.

The music? They love their rock here so we have had Bon Jovi, AC/DC, KISS and the Scorpions. All at full volume.

Paul Davies: 21 years ago we were in Koln at a trade show, we went to a German bar for the game. I remember 3 - 1 the rest is a blur, did we win?

Leon Osman
Former Everton midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

I think the change in formation is a good one. I think England have got one of the strongest squads around. I think it's a positive team and a team that will go at the opposition and take the ball.

England's Under-21s will qualify for the European Championships in 2023 if they win at home against Albania tonight, in a match being played at Chesterfield.

Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, capped three times by the senior side, is among the 11 picked by boss Lee Carsley, with starts too for West Ham left-back Ben Johnson and Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones.

England XI: Bursik, Johnson, Harwood-Bellis, Cresswell, Spence, Doyle, Smith Rowe, Jones, Gordon, Balogun, Gomes.

Subs: Trafford, Aarons, Thomas, Hill, Garner, Gibbs-White, Ramsey, Archer, Lewis Potter.

England are top of the Group G, level on points with the Czech Republic who have two games in hand while Albania are fifth and unable to qualify.

Albania include midfielder Armando Dobra, who plays for League One side Ipswich Town, while substitute Roy Syla is at Brentford.

Albania XI: Puja, Mitaj, Bajrami, Selmani, Marku, Kraja, Celhaka, Debra, Ismailgeci, Muci, Rrapaj.

Subs: Welper, Kalaj, Cara, Toci, Karrica, Bebeziqi, Syla, Muhameti, Ruci.