Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's huge international showdown between old rivals Germany and England at the Westfalenstadion! It may only be a friendly, but it is always a special occasion when these two nations face off and tonight should be no different as England look to replicate their memorable triumph in Berlin a little under a year ago. We have a bumper 90-minute build-up for you tonight, so let's start with a look at the hosts...

Any German fan will tell you that this fixture means more to the English than it does to the Germans, but the world champions will still go into this game looking for revenge for that defeat almost a year ago in Berlin. In truth, that is a rare reason for bragging rights for England over the Germans, though, with Die Mannschaft even being cited as an example by England boss Gareth Southgate for how he wants his side to develop.

It is easy to see why Southgate has highlighted Germany as an example to follow too - they have reached at least the semi-finals of the last four World Cups and three European Championships, whereas England have not reached a semi-final since 1996 and their World Cup triumph in 1966 - beating West Germany in the final, incidentally - is still their solitary success on the international stage. Germany have also had a lot of stability in recent years, with Joachim Low having been in charge for more than a decade, whereas England have had three different managers in the past nine months.

One of the biggest and most significant differences between these two national teams seems to be when they are able to peak. I have already mentioned Germany's vastly superior record at major tournaments, but when it comes to friendlies it is an entirely different story. I will come to England's record in such matches a little later, but Germany have only won 13 of their last 35 friendly games, drawing 12 of those and losing 10. It is a surprisingly mixed record for a team of such quality, and that run includes shock defeats to the likes of Australia, Switzerland, USA (twice) and Slovakia. They always seem to get the job done when it matters most, though, which is perhaps the biggest lesson for England to learn from them.

Germany do come into tonight's game unbeaten in their last three friendlies, all without conceding, and in all competitions they are in fine form since their semi-final exit from Euro 2016 at the hands of France. Low's side are unbeaten in six outings since then, winning five, drawing one and keeping clean sheets in all six of those games. It is 558 minutes since Germany last conceded a goal, when Antoine Griezmann's 72nd-minute strike confirmed their exit from the Euros, and that clean sheet record stretches even further back with 11 in their last 13. Only against Italy and France in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of Euro 2016 have they conceded during that period.

Including that penalty shootout win over Italy in the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, Germany have now won 10 and lost just one of those last 13 outings in all competitions, while in their ongoing six-game - a run which stretches back to their shock friendly loss at the hands of Slovakia in the build-up to last summer's tournament. In addition to being solid at the back during that time, Germany have also been deadly going forward with 18 goals without reply during their current six-match undefeated streak - an average of three per game.

That stat is slightly skewed by an 8-0 win over minnows San Marino, but there is no doubt that Germany have been dominant in their World Cup qualifying group so far. Die Mannschaft are one of only three teams still to have a 100% record in the European section of qualifying - along with Switzerland and Belgium - and in truth it is tough to see who will stop them considering the relative lack of competition they have in Group C. They are also five points clear of Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan, who share second place, while Czech Republic, Norway and San Marino make up the rest of the group - not exactly testing opposition for the world champions.

Of course, Germany can only beat was it put in front of them, which is exactly what they have done so far - and quite convincingly too. They are one of only two teams, along with tonight's opponents, incidentally, who are yet to concede in qualifying, while only Belgium have scored more than Germany's 16 in their four group games so far - an average of four per game that was helped by the rout of San Marino. Games like this against better-quality opposition (we hope) will be important for Joachim Low in the build-up to the World Cup considering the level of teams they will come up against in qualifying, though.

At home, Germany have now won four consecutive matches without conceding, but their record in front of their own fans is not as formidable as you might expect from a team of their calibre. They have lost two of their previous three before this current run - including last year's defeat to England - and they have lost four of their last 15 too so they are by no means unbeatable on home soil. Indeed, over the past decade they have been beaten 12 times in front of their own fans, which is significantly more defeats than England have suffered in the same period (seven).

Of course, if you were to choose between Germany's record over that 10 years or England's, you would choose Germany's which reinforces the point that they focus on peaking at the right time. Victory tonight would make it five consecutive home wins for the first time since November 2011, which is also the last time they won three home friendlies on the bounce - something they have a chance to do tonight. However, they have won 15, drawn seven and lost 11 of their 33 home friendlies in the past decade and may well have one eye on Sunday's World Cup qualifier in Azerbaijan. Of their last 18 games in Dortmund, incidentally, Germany have lost just once, winning 15 times. That solitary defeat was a notable one, though, as Italy triumph 2-0 after extra time in the semi-final of the 2006 World Cup.

TEAM NEWS! The teams are out and there are one or two notable selections on both sides!

GERMANY STARTING XI: Ter Stegen; Kimmich, Hummels, Rüdiger, Hector; Kroos, Weigl, Sané, Brandt; Podolski, Werner

ENGLAND STARTING XI: Hart; Keane, Smalling, Cahill; Walker, Dier, Livermore, Bertrand; Lallana, Vardy, Alli

What can we make of the two teams, then? Well, we'll start with the hosts and the headline for them tonight is the farewell of Lukas Podolski, who for all his troubles in England will go down as a legend of the German national team. He will wear the armband tonight on his final appearance for his country after retiring last year and being granted this farewell match. The former Arsenal forward will end his career as Germany's third-highest scorer ever, with his tally of 48 goals leaving him behind only Miroslav Klose and Gerd Muller, while his 130 caps also puts him third on that list behind Lothar Matthaus and Klose. The 31-year-old made his debut in 2004 but is now looking ahead to a new chapter of his career as he prepares for a move to Japan.

Elsewhere, there is a debut for Timo Werner up front, with the young striker having been rewarded for his form with Bundesliga surprise package RB Leipzig this season. He has scored 14 top-flight goals this term and will lead the line here with the likes of Podolski and Manchester City Leroy Sane in support. Sane does not come up against any of his Manchester City teammates tonight, unless you count Joe Hart, but the style of these English players will be no surprise to him and he has a chance to establish himself as a proper senior international player in matches like this.

It is a much-changed Germany side from their last outing - a 0-0 draw with Italy in November - as only three players keep their place from that side. Kimmich, Hummels and Weigl are the lucky trio, also it should be noted that Germany are without a number of key players such as Ozil, Draxler, Gomez and Manuel Neuer - in addition to long-term injury absentee Ilkay Gundogan. The hosts do also have firepower in supply in the form of Schurrle and Muller, although it is fair to say that it is not the most star-studded German squad we have ever seen.

It is still more experienced than that of England, though, who are without a few key players of their own for this double-header. As expected, Gareth Southgate will experiment with a 3-4-3 formation tonight - a system which has worked wonders for Chelsea this season and which the likes of Tottenham and Manchester United have since adopted themselves. That means a back three of Smalling, Cahill and Keane, the latter of whom makes his international debut tonight. Doing so away to the world champions is certainly a baptism of fire, but Keane has his captain Gary Cahill right alongside him to guide him through.

Another notable inclusion in the starting XI this evening is Jake Livermore, who was a surprise call-up in the first place but is now handed his first start on the international stage. Livermore is in the squad due to injuries to the likes of Jordan Henderson and Danny Drinkwater, but this is a huge and unexpected chance for the West Bromwich Albion man. If he can perform well against a player of Toni Kroos's quality then he could well have a longer future at this level. Livermore will play alongside Eric Dier in the middle of the park, while Kyle Walker and Ryan Bertrand will act as wing-backs.

It is a fairly defensive England lineup in truth, but there is plenty of pace and trickery in the final third when they do get it up there. Jamie Vardy leads the line as expected, while Adam Lallana - who has scored in his last three internationals - and Dele Alli will be up in support. Perhaps the big concern for England tonight is the fact that 34-year-old Jermain Defoe, who is on the bench, is the only person in the entire squad with more than five goals to his name at this level. Lallana is in good goalscoring form himself, but that just drives home the relative lack of experience England have in their current squad. Indeed, 10 players have 10 caps or less in the squad, while Joe Hart (68), Defoe (55) and Cahill (52) are the only players with more than 30 international appearances to their name.

It is not quite a vintage England squad, then, but it is what Gareth Southgate must deal with as he looks to begin a new era in charge of the national team. He has already acknowledged that there needs to be a big change in the team's mentality, but it will be interesting to see whether he is the man to deliver that having initially been overlooked for the post when the FA appointed Sam Allardyce. Of course, that decision was an ill-fated one, and it is now up to Southgate to lead England out of those turbulent times.

The former Under-21s boss has done a decent job with it so far, impressing enough during a four-game stint as caretaker manager to land the job on a permanent basis. Tonight's match will be the first since that decision from the FA, and Southgate will not need telling that further improvement is still required. He remained unbeaten during his probation period, but the performances didn't exactly blow anyone away against the likes of Malta, Slovenia and Scotland before a draw with 2-2 against Spain in his last outing. The draw with Spain would have been particularly frustrating as England controlled most of the game and looked to be cruising to an impressive win, only to concede twice from the 89th minute onwards and throw away victory.

There are different ways of looking at that result - one as a good draw and dominant performance against one of Europe's top teams, and one as throwing away the victory against a Spain side who only turned up for a six-minute spell and still managed to come away with a draw. It is matches like that, and tonight's against Germany, which can act as good markers of how England are progressing, although there were plenty of these glamour friendlies between the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016, and while England fared well enough in those games, it didn't do them any good when it came to the tournament itself. Their problems lie a lot deeper than friendly wins over the likes of Germany will solve.

It has been a year to forget for England really, with the thrilling victory over Germany in Berlin last March proving to be a false dawn. Their ignominious exit from Euro 2016 at the hands of Iceland will still rankle for many fans, and the farce that followed with Allardyce's appointment and sacking after just one game only served to make England even more of a laughing stock. On the field, though, they have at least responded to that Iceland defeat with a five-game unbeaten streak, winning three, drawing two and keeping four clean sheets in the process.

England fans have learned not to read too much into the team's form between tournaments, though, as it only builds the hope up before what has become an inevitable let-down when it really matters most. The Three Lions have actually only lost three of their last 31 games across all competitions, stretching all the way back to the 2014 World Cup, whereas Germany have lost eight times in that period - almost three times as many as England. Yet it is Germany to continue to reach the latter stages of tournaments and, until England can put their World Cup/European Championships hoodoo to bed, all of these intervening games will be treated with a pinch of salt by a large bulk of the supporters.

It has been so far, so good for England in terms of their qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, sitting top of Group F, two points clear of Slovenia - the only other unbeaten team in the group - and four clear of Slovakia. England have already beaten Slovakia, Malta and Scotland, in addition to a goalless draw with Slovenia, and as I alluded to earlier they are one of only two teams - alongside Germany - yet to concede in the qualifying campaign. Things haven't been quite as impressive at the other end, though, with England's six goals making them the lowest-scoring team to currently occupy a top-two place in any of the qualifying groups.

England do arrive in Dortmund with a good record away from home too having lost just one of their last 16 outings in enemy territory. They have won nine of those and drawn six since an Ibrahimovic-inspired Sweden won 4-2 back in November 2012. Since then England's solitary defeat came in Spain in November 2015, with the Three Lions having captured the scalp of Germany during an ongoing three-match unbeaten streak on the road. They have also kept back-to-back clean sheets away from home and tonight are looking to keep three in a row for the first time since June 2007.

England have a good record when it comes to friendlies too. They have lost just two of their last 16, winning nine and drawing five in a run that stretches back to consecutive defeats at the hands of Chile and Germany in November 2013. Spain and Netherlands are the only teams to have beaten England in friendlies matches since then, and the Three Lions arrive into this one on a four-game unbeaten streak in these non-competitive fixtures. It is a different story away from home, though, where England have won just two of their last eight friendlies. The last of those was their win in Berlin just under a year ago, though, and another victory today would make it two on the bounce in away friendlies for the first time since May 2012.

Of course, as headline-grabbing as another win over the world champions and fierce rivals Germany would be, the priority must be Sunday's World Cup qualifier with Lithuania. It should be a relatively straight-forward match for Southgate's side at Wembley, but he clearly has one eye on it having kept John Stones in reserve tonight knowing that Cahill is suspended for the game. Most will be expecting a conclusive win over the Lithuanians, but from what we have seen of England since the Euros, they don't really seem to be in a free-scoring mood at the moment.

PREDICTION: Right, we're closing in on kickoff at the Westfalenstadion, which means that it is time for a prediction! Friendlies are always difficult matches to call and it makes it even tougher considering neither side are close to being full strength. England do usually perform better in friendlies than Germany, but this is a huge test for a largely inexperienced bunch tonight. It really could go either way, but I'm going to side with a 2-1 home win.

England actually have a very good record on German soil through the years, winning their last three matches away to Germany. The famous Germany 1-5 Liverpool, I mean England, in 2001 was the most memorable of those, but England have also won away to Germany in 2008 (2-1) and last March with their dramatic 3-2 triumph in Berlin. All three of those games have come under a different England manager too, and tonight Southgate will be looking to add his name to the list of Eriksson, Capello and Hodgson.

Indeed, you have to go all the way back to September 1987 for the last time Germany beat England on home soil, with Pierre Littbarski scored twice and Wuttke also got on the scoresheet to fire the Germans to a 3-1 win over Bobby Robson's England, who could only muster a Gary Lineker goal in response. England have not won back-to-back international games against Germany since the most famous meeting of the lot, though, with their triumph in the 1966 World Cup final being their seventh on the bounce against their old rivals. The last meeting memorably saw England recover from 2-0 down to win 3-2 as goals from Kane, Vardy and Dier in the final half an hour completed an unlikely turnaround in Berlin.

England have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last seven games with, but they do edge the all-time record in this fixture with 16 wins and 14 defeats from their previous 35 meetings. It has been even stevens since the turn of the century with four wins apiece, but before that Germany had strung of run of five consecutive victories together, including their penalty shootout triumph in the semi-finals of Euro 96.

Before kickoff there is a presentation for Lukas Podolski, who bows out of international football tonight with his 130th appearance. What a way to bring an end to your international career.

The Podolski love-in is still going on, with kickoff being forced to wait until he has said and few words and been suitably honoured by those inside the stadium.

FINALLY we have the anthems, which are belted out as usual, and we're now just a couple of minutes away from kickoff... I hope. To keep you interested, here is a stat regarding Jake Livermore's unlikely return to the international fold...

KICKOFF: We are finally underway in Dortmund as England - in a new-look blue away strip - get us started.

Solid start from England as they look to get on the front foot quickly. You can be sure that the front three of Lallana, Vardy and Alli will put those German defenders under a lot of pressure high up the pitch.

Good spell of possession from the hosts as they advance forward with a couple of slick passes before Cahill is able to shepherd the ball behind for a goal kick. Kimmich gives the England skipper a nudge in the back for his troubles, sending him over, but Cahill does not react.

PENALTY SHOUT! England push forward with some good pressure and Vardy wants a penalty after going to ground under a challenge from Ter Stegen. The striker beat the keeper to the ball, but then went looking for the penalty a bit and leapt over the keeper rather than being brought down by him. It was clumsy from Ter Stegen, but not enough to give away a spot kick.

CHANCE! England won a corner moments after that penalty appeal and from it they have the first clear chance of the contest, and it falls to debutant Michael Keane of all people. He sweeps the corner towards goal, but is leaning back and blazes his shot over the bar.

England have enjoyed the lion's share of possession in these opening 10 minutes or so, and Gareth Southgate will be pleased with what he has seen from his side in the opening exchanges. Germany, on the other hand, are yet to really get going.

Germany look to settle themselves into this match by knocking the ball around their defenders, but they won't be allowed to have anything easy anywhere on the field. Vardy in particular is doing a good job of setting the defensive tone from the front.

Here is that early penalty shout for Vardy, whose rather dramatic fall may have made the referee's mind up more than anything else.

Ter Stegen is forced to scramble across to save a corner following a risky back-pass from Weigl, which again came about by England's pressing. Germany are usually very composed in possession, but they haven't been so far tonight.

Germany have their first chance to shoot as they win the ball back high up the field and give it to Podolski, but the retiring skipper hammers his effort straight at Keane, who makes a good block.

Southgate will be pleased with how his side have started this match, and they are showing no signs of taking time to get to grips with this 3-4-3 formation. So far, so good for the visitors.

England are also notably keen to play the ball out from the back, which could be interesting considering Joe Hart was forced out of Manchester City due to Guardiola's belief that he couldn't do that to a high enough level.

There will understandably be plenty of interest in how the likes of Keane and Livermore do tonight, and so far they do not look out of place at all. Livermore has put in one or two good tackles already and certainly doesn't seem to be overawed by the occasion.

Walker does really well to keep the ball in from Alli's pass when it looked certain to go behind for a goal kick. He manages to hook the ball towards the back post and Lallana tries to bring it down, but Germany have enough defenders back to deal with the danger.

CHANCE! Another chance for England, and again it comes from a corner. It is almost a carbon copy of Dier's winning goal from Berlin last March as he attacks the front post and meets Lallana's corner, but he can't get enough power on his header to really trouble Ter Stegen.

There is concern for the hosts here as Weigl is still feeling the effects from a 50-50 challenge with Dier moments ago. Dier won the ball and it was Weigl whose challenge was probably the worse of the two, but it is the Borussia Dortmund man who has come off worst.

UPDATE: There is another friendly going on tonight, and Scotland are behind against Canada. More pressure on Gordon Strachan!

OFF THE POST! England are inches away from taking the lead! It is Lallana who streaks clear, finding himself with a whole half of green grass to run into. He drives forward after intercepting a pass just inside his own half, carrying it all the way into the area before sliding his finish off the inside of the post.

UPDATE: Scotland have equalised at Easter Road, with Steven Naismith levelling things up at 1-1 against Canada.

There have just been a couple of occasions where Livermore has lacked a bit of composure on the ball in the last few minutes, giving possession away cheaply both times. He has been an effective stopper so far, but there have been one or two signs that on the ball he may struggle at this level.

SHOT! It could be shoot-on-sight for Podolski tonight. He again tries his luck as soon as he gets the ball, picking up a short pass from Sane before taking a touch a blazes it well over the target. He had more time than he thought then and should have done better.

Nervous moments for both keepers in quick succession as first Hart needs to pull off a very risky Cruyff turn to beat Werner just in front of his own line before Ter Stegen opts against the risk and just about manages to clear his lines under pressure from Vardy.

England have a free kick in a very good position here after Alli had nicked the ball around Rudiger before being blocked off...

SHOT! Dier takes on the free kick duties and beats the wall with his powerful curling effort, but he can't get it to dip enough and it flies a couple of yards over the top.

CHANCE! Big chance for England to take the lead! Once again the visitors win the ball high up the pitch and Vardy is able to poke it on to Alli, who only has the keeper to beat. He has been in fine form in front of goal for Spurs recently, but fires his shot straight at Ter Stegen when he should have scored. It is a good save from the keeper, but Alli should have done better.

SHOT! Alli tries to redeem himself with a shot from range as the ball drops kindly for him, but the ball flies a couple of yards off target.

The first half comes to an end in Dortmund and we're still goalless between Germany and England here. England have been the better team from start to finish in this one so far and should be ahead, but Germany have hung on despite being far below their best. The only thing missing from their first-half display from England was a goal, but as it stands we are still all square.

The closest England came to breaking the deadlock in that first half arrived just past the half-hour mark when Lallana intercepted an underhit pass on the halfway line and poked it past Rudiger to send himself through on goal. The Liverpool man carried it all the way into the Germany penalty area before looking to place his finish into the far corner, but his effort came back off the inside of the post.

England created another glorious chance to grab the opening goal just before half time too, and again it came as a result of them winning the ball back off Germany. This time Vardy was able to poke the ball to Alli, who found himself with only the keeper to beat, but Ter Stegen kept himself big and made an important stop to keep things goalless.

Dier and Keane have also had sights of goal from corners, with Dier and Alli also firing over with other chances too. Germany have come up with very little in response, with their only shot of note coming when Podolski fired wildly over from the edge of the box. The hope for the hosts is that they can surely not be as bad in the coming 45 minutes.

KICKOFF: Germany get us back underway for the second half in Dortmund!

CLOSE! Almost a perfect start for Germany to this second half as Hart is only able to punch the ball as far as Brandt on the edge of the box, but his first-time left-footed effort zips a yard or so past the post. A let-off for Hart.

It will be interesting to see how long both managers wait until turning to their respective benches in this one. Southgate will be pleased with what he has seen so may hold fire, but Germany could do with a change from somewhere.

Really good pressing from England again as they swarm around the German defenders in numbers and look to have boxed them in. This time the hosts are able to play out from the back really well, though, and chance almost comes from it too.

England go straight back up the other end and almost create another chance of their own, with Vardy racing on to a long ball forward. He plays a cross towards the back post and Alli meets it at full stretch, but he can only turn it back into the middle and Ter Stegen collects.

CHANCE! Very nearly a chance for Podolski to mark his farewell with a goal, but he can't connect with a clever chipped ball into the box. Moments later he has another shooting opportunity, but his effort is blocked behind for a corner.

SAVE! England come forward again and Dier gets a little bit lucky with a bounce that takes him into the area. The angle is against him so he looks up for support in the area, but his powerful low cross/shot is pushed away from Vardy by Ter Stegen.

Cahill gets a talking-to from the referee for a foul on Podolski, and in a competitive game that may well have been a yellow card. No such punishment in this friendly, though.

GERMANY SUB: The first change of the night sees Andre Schurrle replace Brandt for the hosts.

Almost a chance for England from a corner as the ball is flicked on and falls for Alli, but he has no space and his snap shot is blocked.

SHOT! Schurrle has already threatened about as much as any other Germany player this evening. He cuts inside with his first action since coming on and tries to curl a left-footed effort into the far corner, but Hart calmly watches it a couple of yards wide.

Just under half an hour to go in this one and still Germany are yet to really get going. They have been second best pretty much from the first whistle tonight, but still England have been unable to find a breakthrough.

Schurrle goes down and stays down following a challenge from his former Chelsea teammate Cahill, forcing England to eventually kick the ball out of play. He will be fine to continue, though.

ENGLAND SUB: Big moment for Nathan Redmond as he comes on for his England debut, replacing Lallana.

GERMANY SUB: As one Liverpool player departs, another enters the fray as Emre Can comes on in place of Weigl.

Wowowow! If Podolski could have written the script then this would have been his dream scenario! Out of nothing, the retiring skipper unleashes a thunderbolt into the top corner from 25 yards, leaving Hart no chance. It is his 49th goal for Germany and it is one of his best too. He could not have placed that any better.

ENGLAND SUB: England make a change in the wake of that goal, with Marcus Rashford replacing Vardy.

ENGLAND SUB: That is quickly followed by another switch for the visitors as Jesse Lingard comes on in place of Alli.

SAVE! Germany have burst into life now! Sane gets the better of Kane down the left channel before drilling a powerful low strike towards the bottom far corner which Hart does really well to keep out and hold on to with a strong left hand.

If you want to see the perfect way to bow out of international football, feast your eyes on this screamer from Podolski...

GERMANY SUB: Werner's quiet debut is over as he is replaced by Thomas Muller.

England have quickly regained control of this match since falling behind, but it is matches like this - and their last outing against Spain - which show why there is still a lot of work to be done. They have been the better team here tonight against a very below-par Germany side, yet still it is the Germans who look like winning this one.

Germany are now just knocking the ball amongst themselves at their own pace, doing a good job of winding the match down. Good game management from the home side.

ENGLAND SUB: Another debut for England as James Ward-Prowse comes on in place of Livermore.

ENGLAND SUB: That is swiftly followed by another change from the visitors as Luke Shaw comes on for Bertrand.

GERMANY SUB: The Westfalenstadion rises as one to applaud Lukas Podolski off the international field for the final time, complete with music and everything. 130 caps and 49 goals later, his international career is over. Sebastian Rudy comes on in his place.

ENGLAND SUB: The conveyor belt of changes also sees John Stones replace Smalling.

CHANCE! Good play from Germany as Hector advances down the left flank before cutting a low ball back for Schurrle, who sees his first-time effort deflected wide for a corner.

There will be a minimum of three minutes added time at the end of this match.

The match comes to an end in Dortmund, then, and it is very much Lukas Podolski's evening. He, and Germany as a whole, were quiet for the most part but the former Arsenal man ensured a fairytale finish to his international career with a stunning winning goal in the second half, England were the better side tonight, but the long and short of it is that they were beaten by a Germany team who were under-strength and a long way off their usual pace. Lots of work to do for Gareth Southgate!

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Lukas Podolski bids farewell to international football with the winner goal to fire Germany past England. I will leave you with our match report and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now.