Joshua Kimmich warns of Ivory Coast’s “spectacular offensive” as Germany chase their second straight World Cup win in Group E.
Die Mannschaft opened the championship by crushing Curaçao 7-1, but the road ahead is unlikely to be as easy. Côte d’Ivoire surprised Ecuador 1-0 in their first game, and they have ambitions to cause trouble for even the biggest.
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Germany’s 7-1 victory was far from unproblematic. Curaçao, the smallest nation to ever qualify for a World Cup, actually took the lead – and equalised before Germany finally ran over their opponent.
Now a much tougher challenge awaits. Emerse Faes’ elephants were lucky not to go down against Ecuador – the visitors hit the woodwork several times – before Amad Diallo emerged as the match-winner in the 90th minute. The victory put Ivory Coast in an outstanding position to reach the knockout stages for the first time in the club’s history.
Kimmich: “They have spectacular players”
Germany’s Joshua Kimmich is clearly impressed by his opponent’s attacking threats, especially Liverpool goalkeeper Yan Diomande, who has made strides in the Premier League.
“A year ago, almost no one knew him,” Kimmich says of Diomande. “He has had an outstanding season, even though RB Leipzig were struggling. His dribbling is very special – a bit like Kingsley Coman at Bayern at his best. He has incredible speed.
“But he’s not the only one. They have spectacular offensive players we have to prepare for. We have a common goal, and it gives us energy. Right now, everything is working – we’ve won ten games in a row and we’re on the right track.”
Diomande: “Germany never gives up”
Diomande knows German football inside out and knows what Germany has to offer.
“When you play in Germany, you quickly see that everything is structured – discipline, punctuality, intensity of training. I learned a lot from it, both on and off the pitch,” he says.
“Germany is an extremely strong team. They never give up, fight to the last whistle, and have world-class individual skills. Florian Wirtz, for example, is a creative player who finds solutions in tight spaces. A player like him can decide a game with a single action.”
Team news: Wahi ready for Ivory Coast
Germany have no injuries to report, but could make a change in attack after Deniz Undav impressed greatly against Curaçao.
Côte d’Ivoire gets a welcome boost: Elye Wahi is available after the entry ban to Canada was lifted at the last minute.
Predicted line-ups
Germany (XI): Neuer – Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Brown – Pavlovic, Nmecha – Havertz, Musiala, Wirtz – Undav
Côte d’Ivoire (XI): Y. Fofana – Doue, Singo, Agbadou, Konan – Diallo, Kessie, S. Fofana, Diomande – Bonny, Touré
How to watch Germany – Côte d’Ivoire
The match kicks off at 21:00 UK time (22:00 Norwegian time) on Saturday and will be broadcast live on ITV1 and STV. Streaming is available via ITVX and STV Player. Sky subscribers can also watch the match via Sky Go.
Key figures and statistics
- The Ivory Coast are chasing their first win in two straight World Cup matches ever.
- Germany have not kept a clean sheet in their last seven World Cup matches.
- Die Mannschaft have won ten straight games – their longest run since 12 wins between May 1979 and June 1980 under Josef Derwall.
- Germany have not won their first two World Cup matches since 2006, when they beat Costa Rica and Poland on their way to the semi-finals.
- This is only the second meeting between the teams. Their only previous fixture ended 2–2 in a friendly match in November 2009.
- Germany have lost only one of eight World Cup matches against African opponents (five wins, two draws). The loss came against Algeria in 1982 (1–2).
- Ivory Coast has one win in four World Cup matches against European teams (one draw, two losses). That victory came over Serbia and Montenegro (3-2) in 2006.
Our prediction: Germany has the quality to deal with a tougher opponent, but Ivory Coast will make it difficult.
We think: Germany 2-1 Ivory Coast
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