Die Mannschaft are languishing at the bottom of the table, having collected just a solitary point from two outings and need to secure all three points against Costa Rica to have a chance of progressing through to the next round.
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The bottom two sides in Group E will face each other at the Al Bayt Stadium on Thursday, aiming to secure a place in the knockouts of Qatar World cup. Die Mannschaft are languishing at the bottom of the table, having collected just a solitary point from two outings and need to secure all three points against the North American’s to have a chance of progressing through to the next round. Costa Rica, meanwhile, are sitting at the third position, with three points to their name, and a victory against Hansi Flick’s side will seal their spot in the last-16 irrespective of what happens in the other group fixture.
Spieltag! 🇨🇷🇩🇪 Holt euch das Achtelfinale, Männer! 🔥#CRCGER #GER #WM2022 pic.twitter.com/nhj1md4YtE
— DFB-Team (@DFB_Team) December 1, 2022
After suffering a humiliating 7-0 defeat against Spain in the opening fixture, Costa Rica kept themselves alive in the tournament by securing a narrow 1-0 win over Japan on Sunday. Keysher Fuller’s 81st-minute strike separated the two sides at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium. A draw would also suffice for Luis Fernando Suarez’s men if Spain overcome Japan, but a defeat could not add to their quarter-final finish from 2014 or last-16 elimination in 1990. Meanwhile Los Ticos have a goal-difference of -6.
As for Germany, nothing less than a win will do, if they are to break into the top two on Thursday. A victory for the 2014 champions coupled with a Spain win over Japan would ensure that the Die Mannschaft will advance to the Round of 16. After a shock defeat to Japan, Flick’s side managed to earn a point against favourites Spain, courtesy of substitute Niclas Fulkrug’s late equalser after Alvaro Morata broke the deadlock for La Roja just after the hour mark. A draw or a defeat on Thursday will consign Germany to successive group-stage exits for the first time in their illustrious history.
Costa Rica centre-back Francisco Calvo picked up his second booking of the tournament against Japan and will serve a suspension here. Therefore Juan Pablo Vargas is likely to join Cuarte in the heart of the back-four. As for Germany, Leroy Sane has returned from injury and the Bayern Munich winger came off the bench to make an impact against La Roja. Therefore, the 26-year-old is expected to replace Thomas Muller in attack, with Fulkrug leading the attack.
Costa Rica probable starting lineup: Navas, Fuller, Duarte, Vargas, Watson, Oviedo, Torres, Borges, Tejeda, Campbell, Contreras
Germany probable starting lineup: Neuer, Klostermann, Sule, Rudiger, Raum, Kimmich, Gnabry, Musiala, Sane, Fulkrug
Costa Rica
| Opponents | Score |
| Japan | 0-1 (W) |
| Spain | 7-0 (L) |
| Nigeria | 2-0 (W) |
| Uzbekistan | 1-2 (W) |
| South Korea | 2-2 (D) |
Germany
| Opponents | Score |
| Spain | 1-1 (D) |
| Japan | 1-2 (L) |
| Oman | 1-0 (W) |
| England | 3-3 (D) |
| Hungary | 0-1 (L) |
| Last match | Result |
| Germany beat Costa Rica | 4-2 |
The FIFA World Cup match between Costa Rica and Germany will take place at Al Bayt Stadium on Friday at 12:30 am IST.
| Costa Rica vs Germany | Key Details |
| Date | December 1 |
| Venue | Al Bayt Stadium |
| Kickoff time in India | 12:30 am (Friday) |
| Kickoff time in Costa Rica | 1:00 pm |
| kickoff time in Germany | 8:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in Qatar | 10:00 pm |
The FIFA World Cup in Qatar can be seen on Sports18 – 1 SD & HD – in India. Sports 18 will be telecasting the games on the regular and HD Channels. Besides, Viacom18 Sports announced that Jio Cinema will live-stream all the World Cup games. Besides, the match between Costa Rica and Germany can be seen on Teletica network in Costa Rica; and Magenta Spot and Das Erste in Germany.
