England

v

Germany

 

 

 

UEFA European U21 Championship Play-Off first leg
8pm, Friday 6 October 2006
Ricoh Arena, Coventry City FC
Live on Sky Sports

Wembley in 1996 was probably Germany Under-21s Head Coach Dieter Eilts' finest moment as a player when he helped his country become European Champions.

Position

 Midfielder

Clubs

 Werder Bremen

D.O.B

 13.12.64

P.O.B

 Upgant-Schott, Ger

Club Apps

 390

Club Goals

 7

Int. Caps

 31

Int. Goals

 0

Int. Debut

 18.12.1993, 3-0 v USA
With Thomas Helmer alongside forming an effective partnership, the former Werder Bremen midfielder was one of the outstanding performers of Euro '96 for Berti Vogts' team.

Eilts will be remembered mostly by England fans for his part in the Semi-Final win over Terry Venables' Three Lions, decided by dreaded penalties. In Germany, the one-club man will always be regarded as committed professional.

This week, Eilts is back in England, a place he remembers fondly, as he hopes to guide his young German side to the UEFA European Championship Finals.

But England stand in his way in the two-legged play-off and he expects very tough encounters in Coventry on Friday, then in Leverkusen next Tuesday,

"England are the toughest team we could have been drawn against. It's a real classic match," he said.

"It's a real pleasure to play in England, English crowds are very fair and we are looking forward to playing in front of a full house in Coventry. I hope we play as well as we did last year in Hull."

The night in Hull was one of two qualifiers for the 2006 European Finals in which Eilts' side met Peter Taylor's England. Both ended in draws, despite Germany taking the lead on both occasions, but Germany finally edge to top spot above the Three Lions to take the automatic spot.

The 41-year-old is now looking forward to returning to England and experiencing the tremendous atmosphere he remembers from ten years ago.

"During Euro '96 it was a dream to play in England. I've got especially positive memories of playing the Semi-Final against England," he recalls.

"The English fans gave their team incredible support, but also recognised our performance. The atmosphere at Wembley that day was unique."

Tickets for the match at Coventry are now completely sold but you can follow the game with us here on TheFA.com or watch live on Sky Sports.