England

England and Germany are both flawed teams with an abundance of star players and sky-high expectations. The Three Lions sputtered through the group stage with a pair of 1-0 victories over the Czech Republic and Croatia and a scoreless draw against Scotland. The inclusion of Jack Grealish in the group-stage finale eased some concerns about the England attack, but Harry Kane is still without a goal. Germany got better as the group stage progressed, but its defense showed some holes in the 2-2 draw versus Hungary, in which it gave up an 11th-minute opener and a goal two minutes after scoring in the second half. If the defensive lapses from Wednesday show up again, England's attack could have a coming-out party in front of its home fans at Wembley Stadium. For all the concerns about the offense, the English back line held firm in the group stage and did not concede a goal. While most of the focus will be on Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Grealish, England's defense will be what wins the game for the Group D champion. If the Three Lions slow down Kai Havertz, Robin Gosens and others, the path to the semifinals could get clearer with Sweden or Ukraine ahead in the next round. Prediction: England