After two consecutive forgotten international tournaments, the four-time world champion, Germany, arrived in Qatar with a lesson learned, ready to fight again for the title with Hansi Flick. And he does so with a team that blends the experience of his old keeper with the immense ambition of young talent to succeed in major European leagues. On the other hand, Japan, which is full of soccer players who compete in the old continent, especially in Germany, dreams of overcoming the barrier of the round of sixteen. The two teams complete the Spanish group and, courtesy of Costa Rica, will be rivals for Luis Enrique’s pupils for a place in the knockout rounds.
- How to get to Germany: Solvably ranked first in Group J, with nine wins and one loss, Germany left that very high level in recent months to land in Qatar with some doubts. Their performance in the Nations League was disappointing, and in their last friendly match last week, they barely managed to beat weak Oman 1-0. After the disappointment of falling in the group stage to Russia 2018 and without the leadership of Kroos, who is retiring from the national team, he will be looking to make a clean slate. San, one of his main pieces in the attack, will not be there due to injury.
- How to reach Japan: Japan swept a record-setting record of eight wins and 46 goals against just two goals in their AFC group to secure their place in the World Cup. And although it comes from losing a friendly against Canada, it has been competitive in recent months, beating the USA and drawing Ecuador with footballers who have shone in strong leagues like the Bundesliga, LaLiga, Premier League or Ligue 1.
- match duel: Without forgetting Tek Kubo, the most famous player among the Spanish fans and current member of the Real Sociedad team, all eyes will be on the enormous rising talent of Musiala, the midfielder promoted by Flick at Bayern Munich (17 appearances with one player). goal and one assist), and Kamada, who revealed his scoring face for Eintracht and is a key player in Moriyasu’s 11 (23 appearances, seven goals and three assists with his team).
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