Germany, the World Cup winner in 2014, are on the verge of being eliminated from the group stage in the Qatar World Cup. In group E, Germany are the only team that haven’t won a single game after playing two matches.
In their first match in the Qatar World Cup, Japan stunned them with two goals. After that, they tied against Spain. As a result, Germany are now at the bottom of the table in Group E. But Germany still have a chance to go to the round of 16. They must defeat Costa Rica tonight to stay in the World Cup.
Stats & Records
Germany played only one game against Costa Rica. In the 2006 world cup, Germany faced Costa Rica for the first time, and the Germans defeated Costa Rica by a 4-2 margin. Besides, Costa Rica’s records against European teams are not good enough. They won only one of their last 11 FIFA World Cup games against European teams.
Team News
German boss Hensi Flick is concerned about his attacking lineup. Germany scored only two goals in their last two games in this tournament. Moreover, Thomas Muller is not performing well. Therefore, the manager may replace him with Fullkrug.
However, Leroy Sane is back in the squad after recovering from the injury. He completed the full training session today and can play from the starting XI.
The Possible Lineup for Costa Rica:
Navas; Fuller, Duarte, Vargas, Watson, Oviedo; Torres, Borges, Tejeda, Campbell; Contreras
The Possible Lineup for Germany:
Neuer; Klostermann, Sule, Rudiger, Raum; Kimmich, Gundogan; Gnabry, Musiala, Sane; Fullkrug
Hansi Flick on Costa Rica Clash
Hansi Flick, the manager of Germany, talked about the Costa Rica clash. He said, “We want to kill off the game early so as to pile pressure on the other group game. They (Costa Rica) will be defensive most likely. We need to do it and we have to have the attitude we showed against Spain.”
“When you look at the table Costa Rica have a chance to reach the round of 16. A draw, and a win for Spain, is enough for them to advance,” Flick said. “I expect from Costa Rica a defensive performance as they did it against Japan,” added the German boss.