Euro 2024 Showdown: Fullkrug Believes In Germany's Triumph Over Denmark

Niclas Fullkrug is confident that Germany has already demonstrated their potential to win Euro 2024. Ahead of their last-16 match against Denmark on Saturday, Fullkrug believes the team has shown title-winning capabilities.


"If you want to become European champions you have to beat the really good [teams]," Fullkrug said. "I think we've already shown what we are capable of in this tournament."


Germany's head coach Julian Nagelsmann had the luxury of extra preparation time after finishing top of Group A. Despite having more days to prepare compared to Denmark, Nagelsmann was not overly sympathetic. "We have two more days to prepare, maybe the opponent is not that happy about that," he said. "But one of those four only has to prepare for one team, we have to prepare for four, so it's kind of fair. May the best team win on Saturday."


Denmark has struggled in recent major tournaments, winning only three out of their last 15 matches and drawing seven. They are winless in their last seven games (D4 L3), including all three draws in Group C. Kasper Hjulmand, Denmark's coach, has a plan to counter Germany's strengths. "We have to close down the central space while playing football," Hjulmand stated. "Germany are one of the hardest-pressing teams at the Euros; they win the ball back very quickly."


Yussuf Poulsen believes Denmark can draw confidence from Switzerland's performance against Germany. "We are a very good team; we defend well and have good attackers who can hurt the Germans," Poulsen said. "We have played against each other before and it was an even game. We also saw how Switzerland did it and see ourselves as a similar team."

Germany: Niclas Fullkrug

Although Fullkrug may not start in Dortmund, he remains a potent threat off the bench for Nagelsmann's side. Fullkrug has netted four goals in six major tournament appearances for Germany, all as a substitute. Among European players with at least 100 minutes at World Cups and Euros combined, only Ernst Wilimowski boasts a better minutes-per-goal ratio than Fullkrug.

Denmark: Christian Eriksen

Christian Eriksen continues to be pivotal for Denmark's midfield and could have his most influential tournament yet. In the group stage, Eriksen was directly involved in 23 out of Denmark's 42 shots, attempting 10 himself and setting up another 13 chances. He is the first Danish player to achieve both 10+ shots and 10+ chances created in a single major tournament edition.

Historical Context and Match Prediction

This will be the fifth encounter between Germany and Denmark at a major tournament. Historically, Denmark has lost all five previous meetings against host nations at European Championships, including a loss to Germany in the 1988 group stage. However, Germany's recent record at this stage isn't stellar either; they've lost their last two knockout matches at Euros-both ending in 2-0 defeats.


The Opta Win Probability gives Germany a 57.9% chance of victory, with a draw at 23.3%, and Denmark's chances standing at 18.8%. This statistical edge suggests that Germany might have an upper hand going into this crucial match.