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The most interesting battles begin at the World Cup – the knockout stage. In the first round of sixteen on Saturday, the winners of Group A, the tournament hosts, the German national team, will face their opponents – Sweden, who finished second in Group B.
Munich – "Allianz Arena" stadium Germany – Sweden Match start: 18:00 (Lithuanian time) Referee:
Head-to-head matches Germans have played against the Swedes 31 times and both teams have won 12 times. However, it is worth mentioning that the Swedes last defeated their round of sixteen opponents 28 years ago – in 1978. In unfriendly matches, the host Germans defeated the Swedes in 6 out of 9 matches. Sweden won only once, back in the 1958 World Cup semifinals. These two teams have not played against each other for 14 years, since the 1992 European Championship held in Sweden. In the semifinals, the Germans defeated the hosts. Jürgen Klinsmann, the current German coach, played in those matches.
Group matches
Germany The undefeated national team still has not experienced a loss in the first three championship matches. The German national team had no significant problems in the group matches. They easily defeated the Costa Rican team 4-2. They had a little more trouble with their neighbors Poland. However, after a fierce battle, the Poles were also defeated with a minimal 1-0 lead. In the last group match, the German attack woke up again. This time three goals were scored against the Ecuadorian team, securing first place in the group.
Sweden The Swedes had a slightly more difficult time in the group matches. In the first matches, despite a clear advantage, they failed to defeat the Trinidad and Tobago team. They only scored a goal at the very end of the match to defeat Paraguay. But after that victory, draws followed. However, this time it was against England, considered one of the favorites of the tournament. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.
Although the Swedish attack is not as strong as they would like it to be, their defense is no worse than the Germans. Both national teams conceded 2 goals in the group matches. However, this match will be a real test for both teams' defenses. Sweden's opponents have beaten the opponents' goalkeepers 8 times in the first three championship matches. Playing against one of the weakest teams in the tournament – Costa Rica, the Germans conceded both goals. Sweden's attack may be the strongest of all that the German defenders have faced in this championship.
Facts about the teams
Germany For the fifth consecutive World Cup, the Germans have become winners of their group and progress to the next stage without a single defeat. Germany has never lost at this stage of the championship – in the round of sixteen.
Miroslav Klose is currently the top scorer of the championship with 4 goals. In the last tournament, he scored 5 goals, all with his head. So far in this tournament, he has not managed to beat the opposition goalkeepers with a header.
Sweden Sweden's best performance in the last 10 World Cups was in 1958 when they finished second, losing to Brazil in the final. This year, in 2006, the Swedes have won only one game out of eight played. The victory was against Paraguay in the group matches.
Henrik Larsson's goal against the England national team in the previous match, scored exactly 12 years after his first goal in the World Cup, is the best result of this tournament. The striker is also one of 19 players who have scored in three different World Cups.
Opinions
Sweden's national team coach Lars Lagerback hopes that his players will not be affected by the advantage of playing in Germany.
"Playing at home is a kind of advantage for the Germans, but players can deal with it."
"We need to forget about the spectators and focus on our game. If we play like we did against England, I will be satisfied" – outlined the team's objectives the strategist.
The Swedish national team is preparing very seriously for these matches. –"We will train lightly, but eating, drinking, and sleeping are absolutely essential."
"We need to be in good shape again after playing three group matches, and we only had three days off."
"The only difference is that we have to be ready for a penalty shootout." – Lagerback shared his plans.
German coach Jürgen Klinsmann is convinced that his players must fulfill the expectations and advance to the semi-finals of the championship.
"In a football-crazy country like Germany, you can't be eliminated in the round of sixteen or quarterfinals. The semi-finals are the minimum. If we were eliminated in the round of sixteen, it would be a disaster" – said Klinsmann, who won the World Cup in 1990 as a player.
Despite high expectations, Klinsmann is not inclined to underestimate the Swedes. – "The Swedes are a serious obstacle."
"We have seen their matches in the championship and we know that they can play on equal terms with the best teams in the world" – the strategist expressed respect for his opponents.
"The real World Cup starts now. Saturday will be very, very difficult, and we have to improve. The Swedes deserve our full respect" – the coach, seriously preparing for the match, said.
What to expect in the match
The host Germans are considered favorites. The home walls and the support of fans give them an advantage, which can be crucial at the start of the knockout matches. The Swedes will certainly not be ready to surrender, and in the matches against England, they have already shown that even the strongest teams find it very difficult to defeat them. The battle on the field will be fierce, as there can be no equals in these matches – the most interesting stage of the championship begins – the knockout matches.
Injured players No player in the German national team is injured. Defender Christoph Metzelder has recovered from his injury and should return to the starting lineup. Swedish national team striker Zlatan Ibrahimović has already participated in team training, so he can take to the field in these round of sixteen matches.
Predicted lineups:
Germany: Jens Lehmann; Arne Friedrich, Christoph Metzelder, Per Mertesacker, Philipp Lahm; Bernd Schneider, Torsten Frings, Michael Ballack, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose Sweden: Andreas Isaksson; Olof Mellberg, Teddy Lucic, Erik Edman, Niclas Alexandersson; Tobias Linderoth, Fredrik Ljungberg, Christian Wilhelmsson, Kim Kallstrom; Marcus Allback, Henrik Larsson
