On Wednesday, Germany will begin their quest for World Cup redemption after their disastrous performance in Russia in 2018, while Spain and Croatia will also open their campaigns in Qatar at the same time.
As a result of Saudi Arabia’s stunning victory against Lionel Messi and Argentina, which brought the South American champions’ undefeated streak to an end after 36 matches, Germany will be playing Japan with a heightened sense of awareness.
The first match of the day pits surprise runner-up Croatia against Morocco. Croatia finished in second place four years ago. In the evening encounter, Spain will compete against Costa Rica, and then in the late match, Belgium will take on Canada.
Germany, the tournament’s incumbent champion, was eliminated in the group round in Russia, marking the country’s fastest loss from the World Cup since 1938.
Joshua Kimmich, a midfielder for Bayern Munich, stated that the team had to be patient since “we know that what occurred four and a half years ago was horrific, so we had quite a wait.”
“The opening game of the series is of the utmost significance. At the last Euros, we were eliminated in the first game, and we went on to finish in second place, so I’m really hoping we can turn things around and win tomorrow.”
Hansi Flick, who took over as head coach of the four-time world champions when Joachim Loew stepped down following a lengthy and successful run in that role, has led the team to consistency without producing spectacular results.
Spain is hoping to have a far more successful start to the tournament than they had in Russia, when its manager, Julen Lopetegui, was fired on the eve of the competition for taking a position with Real Madrid.
As a result of Luis Enrique’s decision to prioritise younger players over more experienced ones (such as Sergio Ramos), this team’s World Cup roster is the third youngest among those competing in the tournament.
Kevin De Bruyne will be counted on extensively for Belgium given that Romelu Lukaku will be out for the first two games of the group stage and that Eden Hazard, the team’s captain, has been demoted to a supporting role at Real Madrid.
According to Luis Enrique, “It’s really great because young players add vitality to the club, and we attempt to manage that with the expertise we have as staff.”
The golden generation of Belgian players, who were the backbone of the team that came third in the most recent World Cup, are running out of time. Time is running out for them.
In a warm-up friendly match played last week in Kuwait, Belgium faced Egypt but came out on the losing end, 2-1. Belgium is now rated second in the world, after Brazil.
While in Canada, they come into a squad that will be competing in the World Cup after an absence of 36 years. The fact that Alphonso Davies is now in peak physical condition has provided the Canadians with a significant boost.
Luka Modric, the playmaker for Croatia, has cautioned his teammates not to expect a repeat of their heroics from the previous World Cup. At that tournament, the nation of just over four million people punched above their weight to reach the final. Modric has warned his teammates not to expect a repeat of those heroics.
“Whatever we went through during the 2018 World Cup was an incredible experience, but we need to put it behind us and concentrate on what is ahead of us,” stated Modric. “Whatever we went through during the 2018 World Cup was an amazing experience.”
