England vs Germany promises plenty of drama and tension

While there is lots of preparation to be done before you cover any big game, so much of the drama can’t be planned for, writes Ben Burrows

The wait is nearly over for England manager Gareth Southgate (Getty)

It’s that time again. England are in the knockout stages of a major tournament and, what’s more, they’re playing Germany, with a place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 at stake.

An England knockout game scarcely needs more hype – the 55 years of hurt and counting tend to drum up enough tension before the talking and writing even begin – but the Germans, and a reunion of one of the great footballing rivalries, is a little bit special, even by Three Lions standards.

Talk in the build-up to tonight’s game has been rife with references to 1966, 1990 and Euro 96, to World Cup hat-tricks and missed penalties – oh, so many missed penalties.