Finland vs Germany Preview: The strongest dark horse in the European Championship will compete for the World Cup champion again!

At 22:00 tonight, a very interesting showdown will be held in the semi-finals of the 2025 Men's Basketball European Championship - the German team and Finland team will face each other again. On one side is the Germanic chariot that won all seven battles, and on the other side is the legend of the dark horse that defeated the powerful in a row. The second collision between Finland and Germany is destined to be an ultimate battle between ice and fire.

In the group stage, the two teams had a confrontation, when the German team defeated the Finnish team with 91-61 soldiers without any bloodshed. The Finnish team has been reborn for three days, and has eliminated two strong teams, Serbia and Georgia, and has entered the semi-finals of the European Championship for the first time in history.

Finland is located in northern Europe and is known as the "country of Thousand Lakes". It is one of the five Nordic countries. Finland has a land area of ​​only 338,000 square kilometers and a population of about 5.642 million. It is the best observation place for the aurora and is also the hometown of Santa Claus. The biggest feature of Finland is that the winter is long and cold, and the summer is short and cool.

When talking about Finland, we have to talk about the rise of Nordic myths. Finland's first European Championship was in 1939, and its best result was sixth place in the 1967 local European Championship. From 1979 to 2009, Finland participated in the European Championships in a total of 8 times, but the results fluctuated greatly during this period, and the best result was No. 9 in 1995.

It was not until 2009 that the Finnish men's basketball team truly began to rise. In the 2022 European Championship, Finland reached the quarterfinals of the European Championship again after many years. This time, they not only reached the quarterfinals of the European Championship again, but also reached the quarterfinals of the European Championship for the first time in history.

Finland showed two sides in the group stage. In the first three games of the group stage, they defeated Sweden, Britain and Montenegro, respectively, but then lost to Lithuania and Germany, and advanced to the knockout round as third in Group B. After entering the knockout round, the Finnish team achieved an amazing transformation. In the 1/8 final, they outdated Serbia 92-86, creating one of the biggest upsets in this event. In the quarter-finals, the Finnish team even scored a 55% three-point shooting percentage, tying the men's basketball team's European Championship record in the past 30 years. He made 31 shots outside the three-point line, hit 17 three-pointers, and easily won 93-79, showing his strong overall strength.

So far this season, Finland has made 230 three-pointers, hitting 87, and averaging 12.4 three-pointers, ranking among the top in the game. In two knockout matches, Finland made an impressive three-pointer fire. The terrible thing about Finland is that even if the core Markkanin occasionally fails to be accurate, he will never lack three-point shooters around him: Yantuning, Little, Mark Huni, Valtonin, and veteran Sharin can provide fire support.

The German team's performance in this European Championship is perfect. He won all five games in the group stage, with a net margin of 32.8 points per game, setting the highest winning score difference in the group stage since 1969. In the quarter-finals, the German team faced Slovenia led by Doncic, completed a reversal in the final quarter, winning 99-91 to advance to the semi-finals, and the combination of Schroeder and Wagner Jr. became the key to winning.

As the 2023 Men's Basketball World Cup champion, the German team maintains an extremely high competitive level. They won the third place in the European Championships in 2022, and the 2024 Paris Olympics even made a historic breakthrough in the semi-finals. The German team can maintain an unbeaten record in this European Championship, on the one hand, because the main lineup itself is very competitive, and on the other hand, the bench averaged 38 points per game, and the main force can still maintain firepower output in the rotation stage. This "uninterrupted offense" model is extremely difficult to contain.

In the four years from 2022 to 2025, the German team has reached the semi-finals in four consecutive competitions, fully demonstrating their strength and stability. In this European Championship, the German team is the team with the highest probability of winning the championship among only four teams left.

For the upcoming semifinals, the competition between Markkanen and Schroeder and Wagner Jr. is the biggest highlight of this game. In the group match, Markkanen was limited to only 11 points, with a shooting percentage as low as 26.7%. This time we meet again, whether he can break through the German team's defensive system will directly determine the fate of Finland.

Markanin has performed 43 points in this European Championship and has also experienced a slump in 11 points in a single game. Markanin can average 24.7 points per game so far. As long as he can get into the form early, the Finnish team has the chance to defeat any team.

The biggest reliance of the German team is Schroeder and Wagner Jr. The two-core duo can average 41.1 points per game, and they cooperate with each other and have strong strength. Schroeder scored a quasi-triple double-digit 16+7+9 against Finland in the group stage, and he fully controlled the rhythm of the game on the court. So in this semi-final against Finland, the German team still depends on the performance of Schroeder and Wagner Jr., after all, these two are the basic set of Germany.

In addition to core players, some X factors may also change the direction of the game. Finland's three-point firepower is the biggest variable - they made 17 of 31 three-pointers in the quarter-finals, shooting as high as 55%. The depth of the German team's lineup is another big advantage. Even if insider Vogtman was reimbursed for injury in the group stage, they still had enough personnel rotation.

From the historical confrontation, the German team clearly has an advantage. In the past three matches between the two teams, the German men's basketball team has won. The latest encounter is the group match we are familiar with. Although these pasts are extremely unfavorable to Finland, it just happens to be the driving force for their revenge.

For the German team, their goal is to continue their unbeaten golden body and defend the honor of the World Cup championship. We have already mentioned the advantages of the German team before, which is their overall strength and lineup depth. Even if a player is in poor condition, others can stand up. Schroeder and Wagner Jr. did not have a good shot against Slovenia, but the role player stood up at a critical moment.

For Finland, they have made history and have exceeded their missions for the first time to enter the semi-finals of the European Championship. Without any psychological pressure, they may be able to play a game that will release themselves more. From a 30-point defeat in the group stage to a series of eliminations of two strong teams, Serbia and Georgia, the Finnish team has completed its transformation.

This game seems to be clearly distinguished, but basketball games are never just a comparison of paper strength. If Finland can maintain its three-point firepower against Georgia in the last game and its rebounding rush against Serbia, they are completely likely to do miracles.

At 22:00 tonight, let us witness this battle between ice and fire together. There is only one place for the two teams to advance to the finals. We will wait and see whether the Finnish team will continue to play the role of a dark horse or the German team will continue to write an unbeaten record!