Germany have also not suffered a defeat against France in three straight knockout matches, all of them in World Cups, and Joachim Low's XI also have the experience of six consecutive semifinals at major tournaments.
They have matured in recent years, knowing exactly where -- and, more importantly, when -- to attack their opposition. They will not make easy it for France, who are indeed the favourites regardless of all the stats above.
Jonathan Johnson: In reaching the semifinals, France have achieved their minimum expectation for Euro 2016, so the pressure will be off a little. The hosts produced their best attacking display of the tournament so far in their 5-2 win over Iceland and will head into the Germany clash full of confidence.
Joachim Low's men certainly have the necessary experience at this stage of the competition, having reached the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup after defeating France 1-0 in the quarters. If nothing else, this could be a valuable learning curve for future tournaments for Les Bleus, but there is also little doubt that this team has what it takes to beat Germany.
Roared on by passionate home support and buoyed by the optimism created by their clinical performance against Iceland, Didier Deschamps' men will be the ones to topple the world champions at Stade Velodrome.
France struggled at the start of this tournament -- they needed late goals to see out Romania and Albania, and were also struggling against Ireland in the round of 16. Didier Deschamps' team then hit their stride in the 5-2 win against the dark horses Iceland but again showed weaknesses in defence.
While the hosts have banked on moments of individual brilliance and the firepower of Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and most prominently Dimitri Payet, Germany have been the dominant side in all of their Euro matches so far. Coach Joachim Low used the group stages to form a winning mentality within his squad and has amended his formation and tactics when needed.
The 2014 World Cup triumph still has an enormous impact on the team, giving them an aura of invincibility, with the penalty drama against Italy perhaps the best proof of that. Patience was the key, as Germany never lost their cool and showed once again that the Nationalmannschaft is indeed a team rather than a group of individuals.
Germany were certainly more convincing than France in the earlier stages of the competition, but Die Mannschaft needed penalties to get past Italy in their quarterfinal.
In the Round of 16, Deschamps' men squeezed past Republic of Ireland thanks to a much-improved second-half display, while Low's team comfortably saw off Slovakia.
They have matured in recent years, knowing exactly where -- and, more importantly, when -- to attack their opposition. They will not make easy it for France, who are indeed the favourites regardless of all the stats above.
Jonathan Johnson: In reaching the semifinals, France have achieved their minimum expectation for Euro 2016, so the pressure will be off a little. The hosts produced their best attacking display of the tournament so far in their 5-2 win over Iceland and will head into the Germany clash full of confidence.
Joachim Low's men certainly have the necessary experience at this stage of the competition, having reached the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup after defeating France 1-0 in the quarters. If nothing else, this could be a valuable learning curve for future tournaments for Les Bleus, but there is also little doubt that this team has what it takes to beat Germany.
Roared on by passionate home support and buoyed by the optimism created by their clinical performance against Iceland, Didier Deschamps' men will be the ones to topple the world champions at Stade Velodrome.
France struggled at the start of this tournament -- they needed late goals to see out Romania and Albania, and were also struggling against Ireland in the round of 16. Didier Deschamps' team then hit their stride in the 5-2 win against the dark horses Iceland but again showed weaknesses in defence.
While the hosts have banked on moments of individual brilliance and the firepower of Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and most prominently Dimitri Payet, Germany have been the dominant side in all of their Euro matches so far. Coach Joachim Low used the group stages to form a winning mentality within his squad and has amended his formation and tactics when needed.
The 2014 World Cup triumph still has an enormous impact on the team, giving them an aura of invincibility, with the penalty drama against Italy perhaps the best proof of that. Patience was the key, as Germany never lost their cool and showed once again that the Nationalmannschaft is indeed a team rather than a group of individuals.
Germany were certainly more convincing than France in the earlier stages of the competition, but Die Mannschaft needed penalties to get past Italy in their quarterfinal.
In the Round of 16, Deschamps' men squeezed past Republic of Ireland thanks to a much-improved second-half display, while Low's team comfortably saw off Slovakia.
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