Germany confirmed their knockout-round berth with back-to-back wins and now lead Group E with 6 points. The question is who accompanies them from the group. Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Curaçao are all still in contention. Germany face Ecuador in New York while Ivory Coast take on Curaçao in Philadelphia, with both matches kicking off simultaneously so no team gains an information advantage.
Germany top Group E with 6 points from two wins. Ivory Coast are second on 3 points. Ecuador and Curaçao have 1 point each, with Ecuador occupying third place on goal difference. Despite both sides still being alive, Ecuador and Curaçao face an extremely difficult task. For Ecuador to reach the knockout round they must beat Germany. A draw would leave them on 2 points — almost certainly not enough even from third place.
Should Curaçao beat Ivory Coast, the situation becomes even harder for Ecuador. A Curaçao win would see them advance with 4 points, while Ivory Coast, already on 3, would retain an outside chance. Ecuador, appearing in their fifth World Cup, have been eliminated at the group stage in each of their previous four appearances. In this edition they lost their opener 1-0 to Ivory Coast — hitting the post three times before conceding in the closing minutes — then drew 0-0 with Curaçao.
With qualification already confirmed, Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann is expected to use this match to assess his squad depth. Striker Deniz Undav has been outstanding as a substitute in both games, scoring a brace in the win over Ivory Coast and accumulating 3 goals and 2 assists across the two matches. He is set to start from the beginning against Ecuador. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is expected to be rested in favour of Oliver Baumann. With centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck sidelined by an ankle injury, Antonio Rüdiger is expected to partner Jonathan Tah in central defence, while David Raum could start at left-back.
The most significant changes are anticipated in midfield. Leon Goretzka and Nadiem Amiri, both used as substitutes in the previous match, are set to start. They could be joined by Angelo Stiller, who is in line to make his World Cup debut. In attack, Undav is set to replace Kai Havertz, while Jamie Leweling and Maximilian Beier may come in for Leroy Sané and Florian Wirtz. Ecuador have no injury concerns and are expected to field a strong lineup, with no major changes from the side that drew with Curaçao. Germany and Ecuador have met twice previously; Germany won on both occasions.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report