Spain vs Germany
The upcoming tussle between Spain and Germany is arguably the most hyped up group stage match since it pits together two former World Cup champions.
Spain were the winners in 2010 while Germany followed suit in 2014, and both nations will look to leave their mark once more here in World Cup 2022.
Luis Enrique’s men are off to a great start as they battered Costa Rica 7-0 in their opening match, while Hansi Flick’s side is fresh from one of the most shocking World Cup 2022 results so far with a 2-1 loss to Japan.
Germany can no longer afford to lose since it would decrease their chances even further to make it out of Group E. Meanwhile, another win for Spain would very well guarantee their passage to the knockouts.
Talking Points
Spain are locked and loaded
Spain made an emphatic statement as they finally won an opening game at the World Cup for the first time since 2006. They were simply a class above Costa Rica, and they’ll look to carry their momentum against the Germans.
Coming into the World Cup, there were valid questions about Spain’s attack since they don’t really have a natural goalscorer. Instead, they relied on each other to give their fans several World Cup 2022 highlights to write home about.
Seven goals are the most they have ever scored in a World Cup game, breaking the previous record that they had when they beat Bulgaria 6-1 in 1998. Six different players scored for La Roja as Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio, Gavi, Carlos Soler, and Alvaro Morata all had one each, while Ferran Torres recorded a brace.
They also had 81-per cent possession against Costa Rica – which is the most by any team since the statistic was first measured back in 1966. They were solid at the back too as Los Ticos didn’t have a single shot for the entire game.
Luis Enrique is unlikely to make changes in the starting XI against Germany. Furthermore, Germany would have to key in on Gavi after he became the team’s youngest goalscorer at a World Cup at the age of 18 years and 110 days.
No more room for mistakes for Germany
Hansi Flick was not a happy camper following Germany’s shock defeat to Japan.
Japan bamboozled their European counterparts with two quick-fire goals to claim the victory as Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano found the back of the net.
During the post-match press conference, Flick chewed out his players for lacking concentration and being out of position. The former Bayern Munich boss mainly pointed to Niklas Sule as the culprit for conceding the second goal.
They didn’t help themselves on the other end either when they wasted several chances as they had nine shots on target compared to only four by Japan.
Kai Havertz vowed to be better against Spain, but his position at the starting lineup could come under threat from Karim Adeyemi, Youssoufa Moukoko, and Niclas Fullkrug. Leroy Sane, who was absent against Japan, is another option for Hansi Flick if he’s fully recovered from his knee injury.
History
Spain and Germany are meeting for the fifth time at the World Cup, which is the joint-most that Spain have faced any side here in the tournament (also 5 against Brazil).
La Roja were winless in their first three World Cup encounters against Die Mannschaft (D1, L2), but they won 1-0 in their most recent World Cup matchup during the 2010 semi-final en route to winning the trophy.
The last time that these two sides met was in the UEFA Nations League back in 2020 where Spain thrashed Germany 6-0 to essentially put an end to Joachim Low’s time with Die Mannschaft.
Germany have lost three of their last four World Cup games, which is as many as they had in their previous 21. They don’t want to lose two games in a row here just like they did in 1958 and 1982.
Betting Tip
Despite coming off a dominating victory, Spain’s margin for error against Germany is small. The SBOTOP World Cup 2022 odds have them winning at 2.38, whereas Germany are priced at 2.78 and chances for a draw are at 3.45 in the 1X2 market.
Spain pummeled Germany the last time they met, but we expect a tighter affair this time since Hansi Flick’s men will pull out all the stops to extend their stay in Qatar. But in the end, La Roja should have enough to beat Die Mannschaft most likely via a late goal.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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