World Cup debutants could not have asked for a tougher start to life amongst the big boys as they open their campaign with a date against 4-time World Champions Germany who themselves will be looking to begin this campaign on a winning note to get their tournament up and running.
For the game, here we present our preview and prediction.
Germany are normally considered as a giant in International football, with 4 World Cups to their name. However, the last two World Cups have seen them get eliminated from the groups stages in rather embarrassing fashion, something they will be very keen to avoid this time around.
Curacao, meanwhile, have brought the vibes and the happy atmosphere in what will be their maiden World cup assignment, and they have been rewarded with a rather tough group that also contains Ivory Coast and Ecuador in it, so their main aim is going to be about staying competitive for as long as possible.
The Germans qualified with an element of ease about them, finishing unbeaten in their group. Curacao also finished top of their group to make history by becoming the smallest nation in terms of both population and area to seal their spot in the World Cup.
Germany under head coach Julian Nagelsmann have been a pressing machine, making opposition uncomfortable with their relentless intensity and constant midfield overloads, with the fullbacks staying as wide as possible to stretch the pitch and make those overloads count.
Curacao have once again reappointed head coach Dick Advocaat, who will be the oldest coach in this World Cup, and under him, they play a 4-5-1 or a 5-4-1 where they maintain a few principles of the famous Dutch philosophy of total Football as well, with their primary focus being defensive solidity.
Germany have a host of match-winners to call on, but expect the likes of Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala to be the key men for Nagelsmann’s side. As far as Curacao goes, they will be reliant on Leandro Bacuna and former Manchester United academy product Tahith Chong to get them as far as possible.
Curacao are a lovely underdog story, but Germany will definitely start as favourites and run away with this tie rather comfortably in the end.
Score Predictions: Germany 5- 0 Curaçao
Venue: Houston Stadium, Houston, Texas
And so the deal is signed, sealed, and delivered. Morgan Rogers is finally Chelsea as…
This article contains information regarding the sponsors, brand campaigns and charitable initiatives of English professional…
As Mikel Arteta and Arsenal enter into their first pre-season as defending champions in 22…
India’s flagship padel circuit, the Indian Padel Tour, has found a Title Partner for the…
Indian cooperative dairy company Amul has been announced as an Official Partner of the Commonwealth…
Former Indian World Cup winning captain MS Dhoni has been revealed as an investor and…