Round of 16 in the ticker

EURO: Germany vs Denmark LIVE from 9pm

After a VAR check, the decision is made: Penalty for Germany!

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Round of 16 at the EURO: hosts Germany face Denmark. Can the Nagelsmann team live up to expectations? We report live (ticker below). The score is currently 1:0. 

Here is the live ticker:

"Danish Dynamite" should not end the party in black, red and gold. Germany want to write the next chapter in the "summer fairytale 2.0" on Saturday (9pm) in the European Championship round of 16 against Denmark in Dortmund. Optimism is allowed for the European Championship hosts, but full focus is required. "Now it's a new competition, now it's the knockout system, the round of 16, now it counts. And we are prepared," said DFB sports director Rudi Völler.

Here is the German line-up:

The Danes' refreshing attacking soccer, once dubbed the "Danish Dynamite", has been nowhere to be seen in the tournament so far, with Germany the most attacking team in the group stage with eight goals. A place in the quarter-finals is firmly on the cards. "We've really earned this optimism and self-confidence. We definitely have this confidence that we want to progress to the next round," said Völler.

Niclas Füllkrug

(Bild: AFP/APA/DAMIEN MEYER)

"The most structured opponent"
However, the DFB team also has a great deal of respect. "I think the Danes are the most structured opponent we could have faced. They have a structure with and against the ball and an idea of where one cog fits into the other," said striker Niclas Füllkrug on MagentaTV on Wednesday.

Julian Nagelsmann

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

There was intense debate in Germany as to whether the Dortmund striker should be given preference in the starting eleven at his home stadium over Kai Havertz, who had previously been set to start. While Havertz is still without a goal, fan favorite Füllkrug has always brought momentum to the game after coming on as a substitute and also scored the equalizer against Switzerland. Nevertheless, he is not making any demands. "The potential title is so much bigger than any individual. We all feel that it's important to put the team first. That's what we're doing," he emphasized.

Team boss Julian Nagelsmann will definitely have to make changes. Nico Schlotterbeck is expected to replace the yellow card suspended Jonathan Tah in the center of defence. Antonio Rüdiger is expected to play alongside him, although the defensive boss has been struggling with a muscle strain. Should he not be fit in time as expected, Waldemar Anton could make his European Championship debut.

Coach Kasper Hjulmand

(Bild: Associated Press)

"Germany are the clear favorites"
No matter what Nagelsmann decides, his team will arrive in Dortmund as the favorites. "Germany are clear favorites, but we have a great team," explained Denmark's team manager Kasper Hjulmand. They have already "played great games against great opponents", he said. In the Nations League, for example, they beat France twice in a row.

Highlights still to come at this European Championship tournament, but the Danes have progressed with three draws. "Denmark is currently one of the most unsexy teams at the finals," said "B.T." back home.

The sensational 1992 European champions want to change that against their former opponents in the final. "Anything is possible. They are also vulnerable if you play them properly," said central defender Jannik Vestergaard. The anticipation is certainly high. "It's going to be big. We're playing for the big moments and the fans are looking forward to the big moments," said Thomas Delaney, who is hoping for a starting role in defensive midfield following Morten Hjulmand's yellow card suspension.