Hi there and welcome to our live text coverage from Stadion Nuremberg on what could be a very, very long night for
San Marino against
Germany. Top of Group C in World Cup qualifying, the Germans, who have scored 20 goals and conceded only one, look to extend their 100% record in qualifying with what could and probably will be a high-scoring victory over the minnows. In fact, Germany have scored a total of 27 goals against tonight's opponents - and they've only played them three times! You don't have to be one of the lads on The Chase to figure out that's an average of nine goals per meeting. Will
Joachim Low's boys maintain that average tonight? There is every chance, given how they hit eight past them in the reverse meeting. As we said, a long, long night awaits the visitors.
Victory is pretty much guaranteed for Germany, regardless of who Low puts in his first XI. But let's have a quick look at the teams - or victims, in the visitors' case - before going any further, shall we? I don't see why not. Let's go.
Germany XI: Ter Stegen; Mustafi, Hector, Draxler, Goretzka, Wagner, Stindl, Can, Younes, Kimmich, Brandt
San Marino XI: Bendettini; Cesarini, Palazzi, Golinucci, Bonini, Mazza, Zafferani, Della Valle, Cervellini, Rinaldi, Biordi
It's a very under-strength XI from Joachim Low but, as we said, it's still going to be enough. It's just that they might find it hard to maintain their nine-goal average tonight but, again, would you put it past them? These Germans will be eager to impress the manager which could actually mean that, as a team, they play better than the superstars.
Did you know? Every single player in the Germany XI plays for a different club, which is interesting and not stolen off Opta Franz on Twitter. It's the first time 1960 that a German national team has done that. That's also not stolen from Opta Franz.
Right so we're about 13 minutes from kickoff, so let's have a quick look at some predictions. Personally, I'm about 7-0.
It was actually 2006, Fina. Keep up.
Lord knows why he felt compelled to specify which country, but fair play.
Maybe if you were from San Marino, Mike. But you're not - you're from Bootle.
Only two retweets for poor Tom so far.
San Marino captain Alessandro Delle Valle approaches Germany captain
Julian Draxler with a huge smile on his face, though Draxler has his game face on for the coin flip. It was a nice moment which sort of typified the team's respective attitudes.
Kickoff: We're off ladies and gentlemen. Germany, playing in white and from left to right in the first half, get us underway.
Germany, as you might expect, are bossing possession in the early minutes. There's barely anybody in the stadium - well that's not true, it's just nowhere near full, but Germany fans making a decent bit of noise nonetheless.
Leon Goretzka is fouled by Zafferani and Germany have a chance with a free kick here now. It's going to be Emre Can...
Shot!.....and it's going to be a pretty terrible free kick as the Liverpool man curls well over the bar.
The referee gets in the way of an Emre Can pass, but Germany get it back. That's one touch for the ref, who officially has touched the ball more times than any San Marino player so far.
If the game was decided on which manager is dressed better then it's an easy win for San Marino. Manager Pier-Angelo Manzaroli looks quite dapper in his black blazer and white shirt, looking like he's got a date with Scarlett Johansson right after this.
Goal! Germany 1-0 San Marino (Julian Draxler)
Julian Draxler opens the scoring with a slick finish, curling into the corner of net from an angle. It was good defending initially from Juri Biordi, whose crucial header denied
Julian Brandt, but the defender's clearance was pants and Draxler punished him.
Biordi is having a decent game in the heart of San Marino's defence. Partially culpable for the goal, yes, but he's getting his head on a lot of German crosses.
Goal! Germany 2-0 San Marino (Sandro Wagner)
Really good header this from
Sandro Wagner, who runs on to a fine floated cross from Joshua Kimmich to power a header into the San Marino net.
Some of the San Marino players look absolutely exhausted already, which is ominous given that we're 19 minutes deep into this.
Chance! Could and should be 3-0 and it's the same combination was the second goal, with Kimmich sending in a wonderful cross but Wagner's header is well over on this occasion. It's a chance.
Chance! Lots of over-the-top balls from Germany, and another one almost leads to a goal but Julian brandt's control let him down.
Goal! Germany 3-0 San Marino (Wagner)
It's Mr Wagner again, but there's a bit of good fortune about it. It's a terrible first touch
Amin Younes, who inadvertently squared across the face of goal for the striker to tap into an empty net. These lofted balls are kililng San Marino.
Maybe Younes belongs on San Marino tonight. Yet another lofted ball from Draxler has San Marino in trouble, but a horrendous first touch from Younes is too heavy and instead of getting a shot off, the keeper comes to gather.
San Marino came out wearing dark blue, but now it's a darker shade of blue because of the sweat which is pumping out of them. It's been a very tough 33 minutes for them so far and it's only going to get harder.
Captain Delle Valle fouls Draxler just outside the box and you get the impression that a fourth could come here. They haven't dealt well with crosses all night so why would they start now?
Shot! Leon Goretzka heads a Draxler delivery over the bar. He might've done better you know, but it wasn't the easiest of headers actually.
Julian Brandt is the most German-looking person I've ever seen. He couldn't look more German if he arrived swinging a string of Bockwurst around his head like a lassoo, whilst offering sound financial advice.
Goal! Germany 4-0 San Marino (Amin Younes)
It's four and we said San Marino couldn't handle crosses - and they can't. The keeper comes to punch a corner but misses it completely, allowing Younes to creep in at the back post and tap into an empty net.
Off the post! It should be five for Germany and three for Wagner, who gallops through on goal and under pressure from Biardi, but he goes near post instead of far post and skulls the woodwork. Really bad finish that one was.
Shkodran Mustafi is a centre-back but he's on some sort of Pirlo ting tonight, spraying 30-yard passes from midfield which are actually quite accurate. Hopefully Arsene Wenger isn't watching or he'll cite Mustafi as one of the options to replace Santi Cazorla so he can avoid signing a real one.
Half time: Germany 4-0 San Marino
Well we're halfway through the match and Germany are nearly halfway to maintaining their nine-goal average against San Marino. Julian Draxler, Sandro Wagner - who has two - and
Amin Younes have been the goalscorers.
As we mention before kickoff, Germany have netted 27 times in their three matches against San Marino, giving them a nine-goal average when the sides meet. Would you back against them reaching that number tonight? Of course not. They're cruising against a San Marino team who are drenched in sweat and panting like they've just climbed Everest in builder boots. Fortunately for them there's only 45 minutes left.
For obvious reasons bookmakers aren't offering in-play match betting in this one anymore, but they are offering both teams to score at 10/1, which is a horrendous bet based on this first half. San Marino lads are dead on their feet.
Restart! How do you reckon Joachim Low has managed to keep the exact same haircut for the last 10 years? Anyways it's not important. What is important is that the players are back out on the field and we're back underway!
Goal! Germany 5-0 San Marino (Shkodran Mustafi)
As you were then. It's five now. San Marino fail to clear a corner, and the Arsenal outmuscles Fabio Vitaioli and pokes the ball toward. Keeper gets a good hand on it, but pushes it further into the corner as it were.
It's gone a bit quiet in recent minutes - and by quiet I mean Germany haven't scored.
Bit of a change in tact from Germany in this half. There's been none of their trademark over-the-top balls yet. Even from free kicks where there's a chance to swing it into the box, they pass backwards and build the attack that way. Lord knows why they aren't putting the ball into the box as much, because it worked wonders in the first half.
Subs: Plattenhardt replaces Hector and Stindl is replaced by Timo Werner.
Booking! Giovanni Bonini is the first player to go into the book, following a challenge on Emre Can. Could be a few more of them for San Marino as the night gets older. Then again, you have to be close to a player to commit a foul, and San Marino are nowhere near them.
Shot! Well, at least San Marino can say they had a shot against the world champions - or was it even a shot? It was about 50 yards from goal and Biordi just puts his laces through it after winning a 50-50. Shot or clearance? It's one for the dubious shots panel, which doesn't exist but it should for matters like this. Let's pretend it was a shot.
Superb eye-of-a-needle pass from Draxler to release Younes, but the San Marino keeper is quick off his line to smother. He's still smothering it, as if he was trying to waste time. It's hard to blame him.
Shot! A bit too ambitious from Plattenhardt, who lets fly from a 35-yard free kick, with a sort of Ronaldo knuckleball technique and, like Ronaldo's own free kicks, it flew harmlessly wide. 25 minutes to go.
Close! Wagner, aiming for his hat-trick, climbs higher than his marker but can only plant a header wide of the target. Germany have taken their foot off the gas in a big way.
Mustafi, it turns out, is no Andrea Pirlo. We talked up his deep-lying playmaker skills earlier on (he's playing centre-back, but Germany's backline is right up there) but he's just passed the ball straight out of play, with no white shirt in the direction to where he passed.
Goal! Germany 6-0 San Marino (Brandt)
Okay we have to take that back about Mustafi, who actually is Pirlo in disguise. The centre-back plays a wonderful ball into the San Marino box and Brandt, unmarked, executes a fine diving header. They could yet get nine you know.
Chance! Could and should be seven but Timo Werner heads against the post in a gilt-edged miss which Germany fans down the other end celebrated, because the net rippled but the ball was outside, not inside the net.
Chance! Sandro Wagner must have a few quid on 6-0. That's the second gilt-edged chance he has missed, poking wide of the mark from about six yards. He's on his hat-trick but something tells me he'll get one or two more chances.
Miroslav Klose, Germany's recored goalscorer, is in attendance tonight. He scored twice in that 13-0 win back in 2006. How he'd love to have played tonight.
Eight minutes to go and we're probably not going to see Ze Germans maintain their nine-goal average against this lot, but that's okay. Imagine if the likes of Muller, Kroos and Ozil were playing.
Goal! Germany 7-0 San Marino (Wagner)
It's probably not the icing on the cake for Germany, because there's still five minutes to go, but it is for Wagner who completes his hat-trick with a glancing header.
Two minutes of normal time to go and Germany still pressing for an eighth, which was my pre-match prediction. Just saying.
Chance! Wagner turns provider to set up up Timo Werner who drills into the side netting. That's a bad miss, but it turns out he was offside in any case so no harm done.
Full time: Germany 7-0 San Marino
Well that was ruthless from an under-strength Germany, missing plenty of big names but possessing the same capacity to put weaker sides to the sword. Sandro Wagner scored three, while Julian Draxler, Julian Brandt, Shkodran Mustafi and Younes Amin were also among the goalscorers. Cheers for joining us and we'll see you again.