FOOTBALL

World Cup Predictions: Germany vs Japan

Published

1 year ago

November 23, 2022

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Kickoff: 23 November, 6:30 PM IST

Venue: Khalifa International Stadium

Germany will try to forget the horrors of their group-stage elimination in the 2018 World Cup and start strong with a win against Japan in their 2022 World Cup opener.

But the Blue Samurais could be a tricky opposition. They made it to the round of 16 in Russia and surrendered a two-goal lead against Belgium to lose 3-2 in the end.

Die Mannschaft became the latest victims of the champions’ curse when they miserably went out of the group stages in Russia four years ago.

They will not have the burden of the golden badge this time, but a round of 16 exit in Euro 2020 casts a shadow of doubt over their World Cup credentials in Qatar.

Recent form

Germany had a smooth qualification campaign. They were the first to confirm their participation in the tournament, but their form was far from exemplary in other competitions.

Hansi Flick’s men have won only twice in their last eight outings. They did pick up a 1-0 win over Oman on Wednesday, but the tie could have gone either way, and Germany were somewhat fortunate to retain their lead.

But if World Cup pedigree is anything to go by, Germany will be one of the contenders in Qatar.

Before their 2018 embarrassment, they did not finish below the quarterfinals between 1994 and 2014.

They have made it to the semifinals in four of the last five World Cups. So, no teams will take them lightly in the competition, regardless of their recent struggles.

Japan have been a World Cup regular since making their debut in 1998. They have crashed out of the group stages three times and made it to the round of 16 on equal occasions.

Each of Japan’s round of 16 qualifications was followed by group-stage eliminations. If that trend is to continue, Hajime Moriyasu’s men will be packing their bags after the group stages.

As they share group E with European powerhouses like Germany and Spain, Japan is not the favourites to make it to the next stage of the tournament. But the Asian side have shown in the past that they are no pushovers in the competition.

Both Germany and Spain are going through transitional phases, so Japan will fancy their chances in the group.

Team News

Losing Marco Reus to injury dealt a significant blow to Germany’s World Cup ambitions. But there are no injury fresh injury concerns for Hansi Flick and company ahead of the Japan game.

Veteran Thomas Müller was pushed out of the national team by Joachim Löw, but he has made his way back into the Die Mannschaft setup with his Bayern Munich performances. He will be fit to start.

Antonio Rüdiger has overcome his injury problems to anchor the German backline. Niclas Füllkrug is unlikely to start, but the Werder Bremen forward will be available for selection as he recovered from illness.

Japan might not get Hidemasa Morita against Germany, as the Sporting Lisbon midfielder is dealing with a calf problem.

Hajime Moriyasu will be delighted to get back Karou Mitoma and Wataru Endo.

Arsenal right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu was not even on the bench during Japan’s 2-1 World Cup warmup match loss to Canada, but he will get back to the starting XI against Germany.

The experienced Maya Yoshida will lead the Japanese defence. Takuma Asano is expected to spearhead the attack.

Our Prediction

Germany could be up for a surprise against a well-drilled Japanese team.

We are backing Japan to grind out a draw against the four-time world champions. The final score could be 1-1.

FOOTBALL

WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.

Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.

Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –

🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC

— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.

Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.

With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.

In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.

Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.

Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC

— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024

“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.

We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti

“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”

“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”

FOOTBALL

PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

2 months ago

March 2, 2024

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Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.

While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.

Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.

MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details

Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24

Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date and Time – 3^rd March 2024, 21:00 IST

Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star

MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head

Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.