Germany will be looking to bounce back after they suffered their first lost in 33 qualifiers over the weekend against Poland. In their way is Ireland, who are full of confidence after their destruction of Gibraltar on Saturday. Ireland current sit second in Group D, three points clear of the Germans and holding a healthy goal differential advantage.
Germany vs. Ireland live stream: How to watch Euro 2016 qualifying online
Robbie Keane and Ireland will be out to hand Germany a second straight qualification defeat.
Ian Walton
The defending World Cup champions struggled against Poland on Saturday, falling 2-0 after giving up a paid of second half goals. Joachim Low will be looking for a response from his players, but their midfield could be thin with several players out injured.
Christoph Kramer is sidelined with an illness, joining the likes of Mesut Özil, Marco Reus and Bastian Schweinsteiger, who are all dealing with long-term injuries. Karim Bellarabi is expected to get his first national team start after making his debut against Poland.
Three Irish players -- Wes Hoolahan, Jeff Hendrick and James McClean -- are all doubtful for Tuesday’s match
Euro 2016
Key player - Robbie Keane (Ireland)
It’s pretty easy to see how important Keane is to Ireland’s success. The LA Galaxy striker is one of the more dangerous strikers in the game when he’s on form, and based on recent performances, there’s no doubt that he is. Keane scored a hat-trick in just 18 minutes against Gibraltar on Saturday, helping to spur the Irish on to a 7-0 win. While he’s not likely to get the ridiculous amount of space against the Germans, he’s still the key man in the Irish attack and Germany will likely be focused on him.
Key question - Can Germany bounce back after their loss to Poland?
The Germans remain the favorites to win Group D but thanks o their defeat against Poland, the rest of the teams contending with them suddenly can smell blood in the water. No matter what happens against Ireland, it won’t determine either team’s fate, but a second straight German loss would certainly lead to a lot of questions, most likely centering on some form of World Cup hangover.
Match Date/Time: Friday, 8:45 p.m. local, 2:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
TV: FOX Sports 2 (U.S.), Sportsnet One (Canada), Sky Sports 5/HD (U.K.), RTL Television (Germany), RTE 2, Sky Sports 5/HD (Ireland)
Online: FOX Soccer 2Go (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), B5 aktuell (Germany), RTE Player (Ireland)
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