Last chance for the DFB eleven

It was already dramatically weak what the German national team offered at the 2018 World Cup, when they were eliminated in the preliminary round for the first time in the modern era of this tournament. Our World Cup tips of the day show that there could already be a repeat on Sunday on the second matchday. For all fans of the German eleven, it is now time to keep your fingers crossed and hope for a win against Spain.

The first match of the day, however, is the duel between Japan and Costa Rica. The Japanese surprisingly won their opening match against Germany and could perhaps even make it to the last 16 with a win against Costa Rica. But the Cafeteros will want to show themselves from a better side than they did in their heavy defeat to Spain.

We continue with the match between Belgium and Morocco. The red devils did not play well in their first World Cup match, but they won. Those are the qualities that matter in a World Cup. The Atlas Lions earned a 0-0 draw against the runners-up and showed what they are capable of. There seems to be potential for a surprise in our World Cup tips today, and not only in this match.

Afterwards, Group F will be played again. Croatia will meet Canada. At first glance, this sounds like a clear-cut affair, but anyone who saw the Maple Leafs in their opening match will have been very surprised at how strong the North Americans are. There is a lot to suggest that Hrvatska will have to stretch themselves mightily this Sunday to claim their first win at this World Cup.

For German football fans, the trembling continues until the evening. The match of the day between Spain and Germany will not take place until prime time. The Iberians will do everything in their power to inflict a second defeat on the Eagles. Theoretically, the four-time world champions could be eliminated early on Sunday. The best remedy would be three points against the 2010 title holders.

Japan – Costa Rica Tip

Actually, it always takes turns with the Japanese at the World Cup. Once the Samurai Blue fail in the preliminary round and four years later they make it to the round of 16. So far, this has been a nice regularity. But after the Asians advanced to the last 16 in Russia in 2018, it was supposed to be over after the group stage this year, but after the victory over Germany, it could be enough for the playoffs again in Qatar and the series would be broken, but in a positive sense.

It was unexpected, and to be honest, the first match against Germany did not look like a win for Japan for a long time. Hajime Moriyasu’s team fell behind 1-0 after a penalty kick. After a few changes and a more attacking style of play, Japan came from behind to win 2-1 after goals from Germany substitutes Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano and now have their place in the knockout rounds completely in their own hands.

Teaching lesson for the cafeteros

The last team ever to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar was Costa Rica. If you deduce how strong the World Cup contenders are, then the Cafeteros should be considered one of the very big underdogs. With a defeat against the Japanese, the World Cup would probably be over for the Central Americans after just two games.

But we think that Luis Fernando Suarez’s team will not show the same performance as they did in the first match against Spain. The Costa Ricans didn’t stand a chance over 90 minutes. However, they also showed little physical resistance, so that in the end they suffered a 7-0 defeat, which was deserved even at this level. Costa Rica was overwhelmed in all respects.

It will be interesting to see what the Central Americans show on Sunday. In general, Japan is not their favourite opponent, as Costa Rica have only managed a draw in four encounters. Three wins went to the Samurai Blue and in all three of Japan’s victories you would have been successful with a bet on a handicap win. Perhaps that’s a clue for our World Cup tip of the day on 27/11/2022.

Belgium – Morocco Tip

The Belgians are always talked about as the golden generation, but the red devils have not won a title to date. If it doesn’t work out at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, then probably not at all. However, Roberto Martinez’s team looks outdated and that can certainly lead to problems in the climatic conditions on the Arabian Peninsula.

You can spin it any way you like, but the Belgians were clearly the worse team in the opening match and only won against Canada with a lot of luck and a strong Thibaut Courtois, who saved a penalty at 0-0. A goal from Michy Batshuayi was enough to get the first three points and keep their eyes on the knockout round.

Coaching changes before the World Cup

Morocco took the step of sacking Vahid Halilhodzic and installing a homegrown coach in Walid Regragui before the World Cup. This paved the way for a comeback of Hakim Ziyech and Noussair Mazraoui, who were no longer part of the team due to a lack of team service, but who are now adding quality to the Atlas Lions squad at the World Cup.

This became clear in the first match against the runners-up from Croatia, when the Moroccans put in a good performance. In the end, however, the game ended in a goalless draw, which was largely in keeping with the course of the game. Bayern defender Mazraoui had to be substituted with an injury. Whether he will play against the Belgians on Sunday seems doubtful.

At the 1994 World Cup there was already a World Cup duel between Belgium and Morocco. At that time, the Red Devils won 1-0 and advanced to the next round, while the North Africans had to go home early. This scenario is now also conceivable in Qatar. Overall, the Belgians are 2-1 up in the direct comparison after victories.

Croatia – Canada Tip

Basically, it can be transferred 1:1. What is true for the team from Belgium is also applicable for the Croats. Zlatko Dalic’s team looks a bit outdated in many positions. There is a lack of liveliness in many actions. But that does not mean that Luka Modric and Co. are not capable of winning a game with one or two brilliant moments.

However, that did not happen in the World Cup opener against Morocco. Hrvatska did not cope well with the physicality of the North Africans. In the entire match, the runners-up gave up just five shots on goal, which can hardly back up the Croatians’ claims. We now expect a similar match against Canada and would rather not go for a win for the Europeans in our World Cup tips today.

22 shots on goal by the Maple Leafs against Belgium

This is also and above all due to the fact that the Canadians delivered an outstanding game against Belgium in the first match, in which only the goals were missing. But you can’t blame John Herdman’s team for not trying. 22 shots on goal is a terrific tally. What is not so great is that none of these attempts found their target.

So the North Americans conceded an extremely unnecessary 0:1 defeat. Conversely, this means that Canada is still waiting for its first World Cup victory and even its first World Cup goal. In their only previous World Cup appearance in Mexico in 1986, they lost three times. We expect this streak to come to an end on Sunday, however, if the Maple Leafs perform again as they did in the first match against Belgium.

Unfortunately, we have to dispense with the direct comparison between Croatia and Canada at this point, as this will be the first time ever that the two national teams will face each other. Hrvatska, however, have a 1-2 record against teams from the CONCACAF zone at World Cups. Only in 1998 did they beat Jamaica once.

Spain – Germany Tip

There are some teams that have been convincing in the tournament so far. One of them is the 2010 world champions, who swept the Costa Rican team out of the stadium 7-0. It is exciting that there were six different goal scorers, so that the Furia Roja should be very difficult to calculate.

Gavi, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres (2), Marco Asensio, Alvaro Morata and Carlos Soler all got on the scoresheet. The Spaniards have shown great enthusiasm for the game, but have not really been challenged by opponents either. Even though the Iberians are favoured on Sunday, they will expect a completely different game in which we expect problems for Luis Enrique’s eleven.

Germany need a win against their fearful opponents

Actually, it was exactly the scenario that national coach Hansi Flick wanted to avoid, namely having to face the Spaniards with the pressure of possible elimination. But that’s exactly what happened and the DFB team has only itself to blame. After 75 minutes, Germany was on the winning track against Japan in the opening match of Group E after a very passable performance.

Ilkay Gündogan gave Germany a 1-0 lead with a penalty and the chances were there to close the deal. In the end, however, the trembling started and the Japanese exploited this circumstance mercilessly and won 2-1 in the end. On Sunday, we expect a retreaded German team that knows how serious the situation is, at least in the defence.

Spain vs. Germany are duels that always have their moments. Recently, however, the Iberians have usually had the better end on their side. Germany won only one of the last seven matches against the Iberians. Overall, however, the direct comparison is almost even. Germany is only just ahead with 9:8 wins and eight draws. In their last meeting, however, the German team suffered a 6-0 defeat in the Nations League in Seville in November 2020. There may not be much in Germany’s favour, but we can still imagine a comeback for the DFB team on Sunday.