There were fears that Germany would become the next defending champion to exit the World Cup at the group stage when they were struggling in their warm-up games, but their 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia seems to have made everyone think they are back to form.
However, their first game against Mexico ended in the defending champions losing 1-0 to the North Americans. Germany’s defence was surprisingly vulnerable and every time their full-backs ventured forward, Mexico hit them on the break until they eventually breached the Germans.
The Germans face another stubborn team in Sweden and it would be interesting to see if they can improve their current run of one win in seven games.
Sweden beat Italy in the playoffs to reach Russia 2018, and they have started on a bright note by beating South Korea 1-0. They would be facing a tougher opponent in Germany, but the Swedes are a very strong side to break down and if Germany’s defence does not improve, the Scandinavians may kill them off on the counter in this game.
Sweden has just lost twice in their last nine games, and with Germany struggling for form, the Swedes could hold their own and get a point from this match.
