Against Spain, Germany tries to avoid another early elimination in the Cup

After the surprising defeat by 2-1 to Japan in the debut game of the Group E World Cup, the four-time champion Germany can see its trajectory in Qatar be shortened this Sunday (27).

The team faces Spain at 4 pm (Brasília time), at the Al Bayt stadium, in Al-Khor, needing a victory to continue with chances of qualifying for the round of 16.

An early fall would repeat the trauma of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, when the Germans were also eliminated in the group stage, something that had never happened. In addition, last year, Germany was wrecked in the Euro in the Round of 16.

“The last two tournaments weren’t good. We want to avoid this happening again. The focus is on concentration, it’s the first final for us in the World Cup”, said coach Hansi Flick at the press conference this Saturday (26).

The example was given at the press conference. It is customary to indicate a player to speak alongside the coach, but this time, no athlete was in the press room. According to Flick, it was his decision, as he preferred to keep all the players focused.

The coach did not define the team for the match. He is still waiting for striker Sané, who is recovering from an injury to his right knee. The Bayern Munich player had already been out of the game against Japan. Musiala played in his place.

Spain arrives excited for the duel after the 7-0 thrashing of Costa Rica, in the opening match. A victory practically seals the trip to the round of 16.

The vacancy would be confirmed if Costa Rica does not beat Japan in the other group game – the two teams face each other at 7:00 am (Brasília time), at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, in Al Rayyan. The Japanese also have three points and the Costa Ricans zero.

Coach Luis Henrique expects a very complicated game. For him, the German team is the one that has the style of play most similar to that of his team.

“Germany always plays on the attack, trying to put pressure on the opponent’s field, trying to have the ball. It’s the team that most resembles us and that’s why it’s a challenge. It’s going to be an open game and we’ll see which of the two teams can win the game”, said the coach, in a press conference, according to the newspaper Marca.

For the game, Luis Henrique admitted that he should make some changes, but did not confirm the team. According to the Spanish press, one of the changes should be the entry of Carvajal on the left side, in place of Azpilicueta.

The two teams have already faced each other four times in World Cups, with two German victories, one by Spain and another draw. The last duel was in 2010, when the Spaniards won the semifinal in South Africa by 1-0, paving the way for the first world title of Fury.

This will also be the first game between the two teams after Spain’s 6-0 thrashing of Germany in the Nations League in November 2020.