GROUP E

MIHLALI BALEKA

GROUP E

Spain and Germany might be favourites to qualify from Group E, but Japan and Costa Rica will want to cause an upset.

SPAIN

AFTER winning their first global showpiece in 2010, Spain were tipped to add another crown sooner than later, given the emerging talent at their disposal. But they stuttered, crashing out in the group and knockout stage in 2014 and 2018. Enter Luis Enrique.

The 52-year-old has been a breath of fresh air. Since taking over the reins late in 2019, Enrique has injected new blood with a dash of senior players, such as Barcelona’s captain Sergio Busquets, 34.

But it was Pedri (right) that shone at the delayed 2020 European finals for La Roja who were semi-finalists. And that’s why he’ll be expected to set Qatar alight.

GERMANY

THE winds of change have been blowing across the German national team since their disastrous campaign in Russia four years ago when the defending champions failed to emerge from the group stages.

However, under new boss Hansi Flick, the Germans were the first team to qualify for Qatar, which has given everyone renewed faith in the national team.

Flick has also not been afraid to discard previous stalwarts such as veteran defender Mats Hummels and Marco Reus to infuse the squad with youthful talent such as Borussia Dortmund’s 17-yearold strike sensation Youssoufa Moukoko (top right) in his World Cup squad.

JAPAN

HAVING qualified for the last seven World Cups in a row, Japan will be eager to make a telling statement in this edition and try to finish in a respective spot. The squad is made of players that are only hitting their peak now, having let go of seniors such as Keisuke Honda who has had a very decorated career. But not to worry. Their relatively new-look team boasts a wealth of European experience, including defender Tekehiro Tomiyaso who plays for Arsenal. Striker Takumi Minamino (middle right) will also bring a wealth of experience into the team, after exploits with English giants Liverpool before he moved to Monaco.

COSTA RICA

COSTA RICA will be wearing the underdogs tag in the group, given that they only qualified for the finals after winning the play-offs against New Zealand. They do not boast renowned players, except for captain and keeper Keylor Navas who made a name for himself at Spanish giants Real Madrid.

But now at Paris Saint German, where he’s rubbing shoulders with the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, Navas (bottom left) should bring them hope.