Germany take on South Korea in Kazan on Wednesday afternoon, knowing that they must win if they are to stand any chance of reaching the knockout stages in Russia this summer. It’ll be the first time since 1938 that they won’t make the second round, after what has been a poor campaign for them so far.
Joachim Low’s side were complacent in their opener against Mexico, losing 1-0, before rumours emerged of discord amongst the team. That discord came onto the pitch in their second match, as they went 1-0 down to Sweden. However, they recovered in the second half and eventually won the game in one of the final kicks of the match, with a superb set piece from Toni Kroos. That win puts them second in the group and gives them some hope of qualifying. Had they lost at the weekend, they’d be out of this year’s tournament and they’d be the third consecutive defending champions to be eliminated in the following tournament’s group stage.
On the other hand, South Korea weren’t able to replicate their heroics from 2002, where they finished fourth. They’ve lost both their games so far in the tournament and their hopes of qualifying from the group were vanquished after defeat to Mexico on Saturday.
South Korea vs. Germany Predictions
It’s a must-win game for Germany and they usually win these types of game. Mario Gomez made a huge impact when he came on in the second half for Germany and I can see him scoring in this one. Germany will qualify from this group.
South Korea vs. Germany Betting Tips
Head to Head
- Two of the three matches between South Korea and Germany have been at W. Cup finals, with the Germans winning both contests (1994, 2002).
- The most recent W. Cup meeting between South Korea and Germany was at the Koreans’ home W. Cup in 2002, with the hosts losing 1-0 in the semi-finals.
- South Korea’s only victory against Germany came in a friendly match in 2004 (3-1).
- Germany have won all five of their W. Cup games against Asian opponents, scoring 19 goals in total and keeping clean sheets in each of their last three.
- South Korea have lost their last four W. Cup matches in a row, their joint-worst run. They also lost four in a row between 1986 and 1990.
- Germany’s victory over Sweden was their first at the W. Cup when conceding first since 1998, a 2-1 win over Mexico.
- Son Heung-Min attempted eight shots in South Korea’s defeat to Mexico, three more than South Korea managed in their opening match against Sweden (five shots).
- Germany have won 15 of their last 17 competitive matches (D1 L1) since losing 2-0 to France at Euro 2016.
- South Korea have conceded a penalty goal in each of their last two W. Cup matches. They had conceded just one goal via a penalty in their previous 29 W. Cup games combined.
- Toni Kroos’ goal against Sweden was the latest goal scored by Germany in normal time at the World Cup (94:42). Kroos has been involved in five goals in his last five W. Cup games (3 goals, 2 assists).
South Korea Squad
Kim Seung-gyu (Vissel Kobe), Kim Jin-hyeon (Cerezo Osaka), Cho Hyun-woo (Daegu FC), Kim Young-gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), Jang Hyun-soo (FC Tokyo), Jung Seung-hyun (Sagan Tosu), Yun Yong-sun (Seongnam FC), Oh Ban-suk (Jeju United), Kim Min-woo (Sangju Sangmu), Park Joo-ho (Ulsan Hyundai), Hong Chul (Sangju Sangmu), Go Yo-han (FC Seoul), Lee Yong (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Ki Sung-yeung (Swansea), Jung Woo-young (Vissel Kobe), Ju Se-jong (FC Seoul), Koo Ja-cheol (FC Augbsurg), Lee Jae-sung (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Lee Seung-woo (Hellas Verona), Moon Seon-min (Incheon United), Kim Shin-wook (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Hwang Hee-chan (Red Bull Salzburg)
Germany Squad
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Paris Saint Germain), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Monchengladbach), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin), Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea), Niklas Sule (Bayern Munich), Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (Paris Saint Germain), Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Sebastian Rudy (Bayern Munich), Mario Gomez (Stuttgart), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich) Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund, Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)
