Germany already had their taste of Russian condition after winning the Confederations Cup last summer. They met Mexico in the semifinals back then and bagged a staggering 4-1 win.Mexico often bring their killer instinct to World Cups and this is how they made it to the round of 16 in all six previous editions. They have a chance to repeat this as Sweden is struggling to find goals and South Korea are a team in decline.The El Tri had a decent warm up round to go with, as they picked up 4 wins and 2 draws from 8 games while losing twice. A 3-3 draw against Belgium and wins against Iceland, Poland and Scotland show this team can go the distance in Russia.
Germany Team News
Joachim Low did a lot of experiments during the warm up games, however we are expected to see familiar faces to start against Mexico on Sunday evening.
Mesut Ozil is expected to retain his role as the playmaker, which means Marco Reus have to wait on the bench.
Timo Werner could be the preferred striker ahead of the experienced Mario Gomez.
Elsewhere, we have seasoned pairs in Khedira and Kroos in midfield and Boateng and Hummerls in defense.
Germany Predicted Starting Line-up (4-2-3-1)
Neuer – Hector, Boateng, Hummels, Kimmich – Khedira, Kroos – Draxler, Ozil, Muller – Werner.
Mexico Predicted Starting Line-up (4-2-3-1)
Ochoa – Gallardo, Ayala, Salcedo, Layun – Guardado, Herrera – dos Santos, Vela, Lozano – Javier Hernandez.