HEAVYWEIGHT World Cup stalwarts Spain and Germany clash in Group E, with Japan and Costa Rica in a mouthwatering contrast of styles.
Both the Spaniards and the Germans have got points to prove after spectacularly underperforming in the last tournament in Russia – Germany were bottom of their group and Spain went out in the Round of 16 stages.
But they won't get it easy against the well-organised Japanese and an exiting Costa Rica side.
Spain
SPAIN won it in 2010 and they really dominated football at that time winning three tournaments in a row, alongside two Euros. But they are not quite the force of old.
Of course, manager Luis Enrique can still call on a huge amount of talent with his midfield especially strong. Their squad is unsurprisingly dominated by European champions Real Madrid and Barcelona players, but their weak point is often scoring goals.
All of their strikers have been criticised and didn't look entirely convincing at Euro 2020 either with Italy eliminating them on penalties in the semi-finals.
They didn't convince in the Nations League either as they lost at home to the Swiss, but they are still expected to go far here.
Germany
GERMANY are almost a mirror image. The four-time winners were a huge disappointment at the Euros – going down with a whimper to hosts England in the Round of 16.
Manager Hansi Flick has plenty of options but suffered a blow with Timo Werner injured. He's opted for new talents like Christian Günter, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Niclas Füllkrug and Youssoufa Moukoko and handed Mario Goetze a recall after five years.
Borussia Dortmund star Matts Hummels was also a surprise omission and their recent form has fluctuated after two draws with England and a surprise loss to Hungary.
Japan
JAPAN caused something of a sensation in Scotland when they didn't take Celtic talisman Kyogo Furuhashi to Qatar and manager Hajime Moriyasu has opted for a squad full of hard workers.
They are defensively hard to break down and Moriyasu wants his strikers to defend from the front – the Samurai Blue haven't lost a goal in their last five games and will be nobody's fools here although goals might be a problem.
Star man is Schalke's 121-capped defender Maya Yoshida and Germany and Spain could well find it a tough slog against them.
Costa Rica
COSTA RICA made it to Qatar by beating New Zealand in a play-off after finishing fourth in their group.
They are coming into this as something of an unknown quantity having only played once since November – a 2-0 win against Nigeria last week. although they beat the USA and drew with Mexico away in the qualifiers.
Captained by 37-year-old Bryan Ruiz, they will pin their hopes on former Arsenal starlet Joel Campbell who now plays for Monterrey in Mexico and has 25 goals for his country.
Group E Betting
It looks like a toss of the coin as to who will win the group between Spain and Germany. Both are supremely talented, but there are question marks about both too.
Germany often springs out of the traps in these tournaments though and the 3/2 on offer from Highbet on Die Mannschaft to beat Spain in a straight forecast looks worth snapping up.
Jaan could struggle here with a lack of goals and Costa Rica have plenty of experience in World Cups. The 3/1 for them to finish third in the group is well worth considering.
Group E Betting Tips
What are your predictions for this year's World Cup Group E? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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