As four-time World Cup winners Germany (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) faced a shock defeat by Japan on 23 November by 2-1, another 2010 World Cup winner Spain destroyed Costa Rica 7-0 on the same day.
Considering the loss in the opening match, it was a do or die match for the Germans to keep their world cup dreams alive. However, scoring against Spain will not be easy.
Overview:
Despite winning the World cup in 2014, Germany were knocked out at the group-stage in 2018 and they certainly don’t want to do it for the second time in a row. Before 2018, Germany had not failed to get past the first round of the tournament since 1938.
For Spain too, this match will be important, despite topping the charts in Group E with Japan today, as they were badly eliminated in the round of 16 in 2018 in Russia.
German head coach Hansi Flick is already facing the heat and looks to be under pressure against La Roja (nickname for Spain’s national football team).
In contrast, La Roja’s win over Costa Rica in the previous fixture was Spain’s biggest World Cup triumph and with it manager Luis Enrique looks confident, but at the same time wary.
Head to head:
Looking at recent records, Spain hold a better advantage over Germany, having lost just one of their previous seven meetings. Also, Spain have only won their first two games of a World Cup three times.
Germany – currently ranked 10th in the world by FIFA – have won just two of their last nine internationals in all competitions. And the loss against Japan in the opener, could create a confidence issue for both the coach and the team.
Key players:
Spain: For La Roja (Spain), the young duo — 18-year-old midfielder Gavi and 19-year-old Pedri are the ones to watch out for. Led by Spain coach Luis Enrique, La Roja has the third youngest team of 32 countries, after the United States and Ghana. Also, 22-year-old Torres and Dani Olmo could look influential for the lone world cup winner.
Germany: Germany will look to Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry to create magic against La Roja. Coach Hansi Flick is also looking forward to how well Niklas Sule, Antonio Rudiger, Nico Schlotterbeck and David Raum will perform to keep the German dreams alive.
Line up:
Germany XI (4-2-4): Neuer; Sule, Rudiger, Schlotterbeck, Raum; Kimmich, Gundogan; Gnabry, Muller, Musiala; Havertz
Spain XI(4-3-3): Simon; Azpilicueta, Rodri, Laporte, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, Gavi; F. Torres, Asensio, Olmo
Date, Time and Place:
The Spain vs Germany match will be played on November 27 at 12:30 AM (November 28, IST).
Live-streaming details:
The Spain vs Germany match will be telecast live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD TV channels in India and both the Jio Cinema app and website offer free live streaming of the event.
Prediction:
As mentioned earlier, Spain beat Germany in their last meeting, they want to keep the record. After beating Costa Rica, their morale is also on the higher side.
On the contrary, Germany, who lost to Japan, will be under a lot of pressure and will try everything to keep the trip to the tournament.
Considering the fixture of the two world cup champions and the intensity, it’s sure to be a nail-biting and close match.
Our guess: Germany 2-1 Spain
%20Volleyball%20Challenge%20Cup%20for%20Women%20at%20Kathmandu%20in%20Nepal%20on%20Sunday.jpg)
