Football World Cup 2022 in Qatar: Sports show experts see Niclas Füllkrug in the starting eleven

Even a clear victory against Costa Rica could not be enough for Germany to reach the round of 16 at the World Cup. However, the experts at Sportschau agree that the goal hunt should start immediately with a real “nine”: 3-0 for Füllkrug.

The sporting level of the world championship has improved after a tough start. But teams that consistently convince are rare. Favourites, Argentina, still won the last group match after a strong performance against Poland, who have rumbled before but who are still through, like Australia.

So far, the German national team has only rumbled for a good 20 minutes, but enormously. In this phase, Japan turned a deficit in the opening game into a win.

If the consistently convincing game against a strong Spain on Thursday (December 1st, 2022, 8 p.m. in the live stream and live ticker) succeeds in a consistently convincing win with a three or four goal difference against Costa Rica, that would be more than 90 percent more convincing including the lavish stoppage times game minutes.

Clear victory against Costa Rica could be important

But such odds, unlike points, goals and yellow cards, play no role in who advances to the round of 16 at the World Cup. Should Japan narrowly win against Spain, a German 4-0 win would not be enough.

National coach Hansi Flick described it as “disrespectful” to the opponent to speak of a win with an eight-goal difference, which would definitely be enough to advance. Nevertheless, the question arose as to whether it wouldn’t make sense to go on the unconditional offensive right from the start.

In terms of personnel, the squad would provide such a solution, for example with a right-back Jonas Hofmann. However, three experts from the sports show do not do this, who find different approaches in their desired line-ups, both in terms of personnel and the basic formation.

Filling jug set at Schult, Hitzlsperger and Khedira

Almuth Schult, Sami Khedira and Thomas Hitzlsperger agree on the cast in the central storm. The real nine, Niclas Füllkrug, who revived the offensive game against Spain from the 70th minute and also scored the equalizer, should storm.

The trio also agree that Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry should initially sit on the bench. Thomas Müller, who hasn’t had a shot on goal in around 130 minutes of play in the two games, is seeded in all of them. Schult sees him in the right midfield of a 4-2-3-1 system. A special feature of the national goalkeeper’s line-up is that she sees Mario Götze in the starting eleven, namely on the “ten”. Jamal Musiala would play at Schult’s left from Frankfurt.

Unlike Khedira and Hitzlsperger, who rely on a back four like against Spain with Thilo Kehrer, Niklas Süle, Antonio Rüdiger and David Raum, Almuth Schult sees Christian Günter from Freiburg in the position of left defender instead of Raum from Leipzig.

Like the 2016 Olympic champion, the 2014 World Champion relies on a 4-2-3-1 with Bayern Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka in front of the back four. With Sami Khedira, however, Jonas Hofmann finds a place in the starting eleven, namely in the right midfield. On the “Ten” and to the left, Khedira sees two other Munich residents: Musiala and Müller.

Thomas Hitzlsperger favors a 4-3-3 with Kimmich as the only “six”. Before that, Goretzka and İlkay Gündoğan, who loses his starting XI place from the first two games with Schult and Khedira, would play as “eighth”. Hitzlsperger also sees the strikers Musiala (right) and Müller more in the so-called half-spaces than on the wings.

Different approaches from three experts, who also have one thing in common: With every line-up it should be possible to win against Costa Rica, also consistently convincing.