Former Boro boss Gareth Southgate will take his side to the Riverside Stadium on Monday 30 March for what is sure to be a tough test for the Three Lions.
England U21s v Germany U21s
International U21 Match
Monday 30 March 2015
Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
Live on BT Sport
Ticket details TBC
Germany will be joining England in Czech Republic next June, albeit in a different group, for the Euro Finals and will be amongst the favourites for the title.
And with Southgate wanting to see his players in action against the best teams as they prepare for the Euros, this game against Horst Hrubesch’s men will tick all of the boxes.
Speaking about the game, Southgate said: "There is so much history to this fixture but we also know at development level, Germany have really got so much right over the last few years.
"For us it’s a great bench mark and we’ve had some good games against Germany recently at other age groups so we want to keep challenging ourselves.
"We feel that playing top quality opposition will provide a vital learning experience.
"With Middlesbrough going as well as they are, there is a good feeling up there and I think they are going to be really strong contenders for promotion.
"Aitor [Karanka] is doing a really good job.
Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium has a history of hosting England games
"He has been very supportive of what we are doing and really helpful with Ben [Gibson], Patrick [Bamford] and Jamal Blackman as well as boys at other age groups. Historically, Middlesbrough have been a great provider of young players for us but that’s continuing now."
Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson added: "Middlesbrough Football Club are proud to be hosting yet another England U21 International.
"I am sure that the people of Teesside will come out in force to support Gareth Southgate and his players against a strong Germany team in advance of the European Championships next summer.
"Our club and academy have maintained strong links with the England FA junior ranks and at the present time we have 18 players that have represented England at junior levels.
"These include Ben Gibson who has recently been selected for the U21 squad under Gareth Southgate.
"We look forward to an exciting game and great atmosphere when Gareth brings his team to the Riverside in March next year."
The match, which will be the last game for the Under-21s before the end of the domestic season, will be England’s first trip to the Riverside since February 2012, when Stuart Pearce’s side beat Belgium by 4-0.
It had been a regular home for the Three Lions before that too, with four Under-21 games being held there prior to that game.
In 2000, there was a 6-0 win against Georgia followed by a 5-1 victory against Albania the following year.
And August 2004 saw a 3-1 win against Ukraine and there was a 2-0 result against Azerbaijan in Euro Qualifying for the 2006 Finals.
Ticket details for England U21s v Germany U21s on March 30 2015 will be announced soon. The match will be shown live exclusively on BT Sport.
Fans wanting to catch an earlier glimpse of Southgate’s Young Lions in action can do so this Thursday when fellow Finalists Portugal are the opponents at Burnley’s Turf Moor, kick off 7.45pm.
Tickets for the game cost just £10 for adults and £5 for juniors. You can pay on the evening at the Turf Moor Ticket Office, or just call 01282 700003 for more details. BT Sport will also be showing this game live.
