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#3 Toni Kroos (Germany) vs Declan Rice (England)
Midfield maestro Toni Kroos will again pull the strings in midfield for Germany in this UEFA Euro 2020 clash. He will look to unleash Robin Gosens or Joshua Kimmich down the wings with his telegraphed balls or go through the centre to find Thomas Muller or the impressive Kai Havertz.
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The 31-year-old has again amassed a 90%-plus pass percentage despite this not being a vintage German team. So stopping Kroos' deliveries and forward runs will be crucial to Southgate's plans.
The England coach has been criticised a bit for deploying a too defensive-minded midfield. But he will need West Ham's Declan Rice and even Leeds' Kalvin Phillips to break up Germany's rhythm in midfield as Die Mannschaft try to pile up ball possession and strike through blitzkriegs.
Rice has been omnipresent in England's midfield at Euro 2020, sitting deep and soaking up pressure while also acting as a launchpad for England's attacks. He is a neat but conservative passer, with a similar success rate to Kroos but hardly his attacking verve. He has, however, succeeded in his main task, having put in five tackles and recovered ten balls in the three Euro 2020 group games thus far.
#2 Kai Havertz (Germany) vs Kyle Walker (England)
Kai Havertz seems to have brought his Champions League final form into Euro 2020. He has been one of Germany's most impressive attackers during the group stage. Havertz has scored two goals at Euro 2020 while operating as a left forward between the lines and has been consistently taking up great positions off the ball.
Kyle Walker and John Stones will both be tasked with stopping Haverz down England's right as the Chelsea man twists and turns down both the inside and outside of the English defenders.
But I have picked Walker as Havertz's main adversary simply because the experienced City defender will also be marauding forward while Stones is likely to sit in. So Havertz will try to fill up the vacant spaces left by an overlapping Walker, especially with Germany's proclivity for the left wing.
Kyle Walker has overtaken other members of the England squad's collection of right-backs to become the starter at Euro 2020. He has looked assured on the ball, having made quite a few recoveries and clearances. He is yet to, strangely, make a single tackle, something he might have to do against Germany mandatorily.
#1 Harry Kane (England) vs Mats Hummels (Germany)
The safe bet would have been to choose Raheem Sterling as England's number one attacking threat, as he has, after all, netted both England's goals at Euro 2020 thus far. But then there is the curious case of England captain Harry Kane, one of the game's leading forwards, who has seemed strangely off the pace in the three group games in the tournament.
Nevertheless, Kane is not just a proven goalscorer but a master at leading the line. He links up with fellow forwards, opens up defences with link-ups and through balls, and most importantly, scores important goals on a consistent basis.
He has looked a frail shadow of that player at UEFA Euro 2020. So he will be desperate to overcome the group-stage jitters and become the one that makes the difference in this crucial game against Germany.
Mats Hummels, Germany's World Cup-winning centre-back who has been brought back to the squad by Joachim Low because of his years of experience and guile, will ensure Kane has no say in the game if he has his way.
Hummels did score an own goal in Germany's Euro 2020 opener but showed his class in tracking Kylian Mbappe proficiently in the same game. He is a master central defender with a penchant for strong marking. He is surely going to keep a close eye on Harry Kane in this blockbuster UEFA Euro 2020 Round-of-16 game in London tonight.
