That amazing World Cup final between Argentina and France on Sunday at the Lusail Stadium in Doha that ended 3-3 before the South Americans won on penalties also featured two of the best goals of the tournament. In fact Kyilan Mbappe's astounding volley from the edge of the box is also our  favourite goal of the tournament, and it is arguably the best individual goal ever scored in a World Cup final. Thinking back on famous World Cup final goals, there's the one Brazil scored in 1970, with the captain Carlos Alberto finishing off a sweeping team move after being laid on by Pele. But nothing like the individual skill and execution it took, in that moment with so much riding on it, for Mbappe's second. Read more: Mbappé electrifies in World Cup epic, ends up on losing side Mbappe is a player who seems to have made a habit of being mentioned in the same breath as Pele, ever since he broke through in Russia 2018 to become the first teenager since the great Brazilian to score in the knockout stages of the World Cup, including the final. And we have his stupendous equaliser against Argentina on Sunday down as the best individual goal in a World Cup final since Pele's strike in 1958 against hosts Sweden, that Brazil won 5-2 to win their first World Cup. In that game, Brazil were already up 2-1 when Pele receives a ball in the box, outrageously flicks it over the defender marking him and volleys home. So with Mbappe a clear number one, here are the other goals we really loved from this year's edition. In choosing them, we valued the moment, the importance of the goal in the overall context of the match as much as the execution, so you won't find goals like, say, the one South Korea scored at 4-0 down v Brazil on this list. They are in no particular order though.

Di Maria doubled Argentina's lead in the 36th minute after Lionel Messi scored on a penalty to make it 1-0 for Argentina against France. Di Maria started for the first time since sustaining a foot injury against Poland in the final round of group matches. The 34-year-old took the place of Leandro Paredes in midfield as Argentina again rolled out a 4-4-2 formation, with Messi one of the two forwards. Messi is making a record 26th appearance at the World Cup, breaking a tie with Germany great Lothar Matthäus. Messi's matches have been spread over five World Cups, starting in 2006. It was Messi's 12th World Cup goal. Like France, Argentina are seeking a third World Cup title — after 1978 and 1986 — to move into outright fourth place in the all-time list. It would end a 36-year wait for football's biggest prize, since Maradona's string of virtuoso performances in Mexico in 1986. Read more: Messi evokes Maradona comparisons on road to World Cup final That made Maradona forever a hero in Argentina and an icon around the football world. Messi now appears to be at that level. Messi has evoked comparisons with Maradona in the way he has pushed Argentina to the final, scoring six goals, thrilling his team's legion of fans, who have poured into Qatar throughout the World Cup in numbers only really matched by those from Morocco. Read more: ARG-FRA 2-2 after Mbappe drags France back into final

With Wales on the verge of World Cup elimination, Gareth Bale was dismissive when asked if Tuesday’s game against England could be the last for his country. “Nope,” was his one-word answer. He chose not to elaborate. While questions hang over Bale’s long-term future, Wales’ concerns are more immediate. If Wales fails to beat England in its final Group B game it is out of the World Cup. But even a win might not be enough to secure qualification to the knockout stages. “We’re disappointed in the results and the performances,” Bale said Monday. “But that’s football, it’s not easy, it’s a World Cup. We don’t need to get anyone going — we just need to keep working hard and hopefully things will turn around for us.” Read more: Why are World Cup players donning unusual face masks on pitch? The 1-1 draw with the United States in Wales’ opening game, when Bale scored a penalty to tie, was a solid enough start. But a 2-0 loss to Iran has put Wales in jeopardy of World Cup elimination. So it is understandable that Bale had little interest in engaging in discussion about his storied career and what remains for his playing days. He was asked how a win against England and moving into the round of 16 would rank against his five Champions League trophies with Real Madrid. “I’ll let you know if it happens,” he said curtly. At 33, Bale doesn’t need to be told occasions like this might be over for him once Wales’ World Cup adventure ends. After leading his country to the semifinals of Euro 2016 and through to the knockout stages of Euro 2020, he ended Wales' 64-year wait to qualify for a World Cup. But his influence is declining, as has been evident in Wales’ opening two games. Meanwhile, other key players in Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen are also past their peak. With a lack of obvious replacements coming through, qualification for another major tournament may not be on the horizon any time soon. Read more: Viral Wales video hangs over World Cup clash with England Bale has also said goodbye to elite European football – joining MLS team Los Angeles FC in the summer. In short, his opportunities to play in front of a global audience could be scarce beyond Qatar. But it would be unwise to write off a player who has made a career of producing game-changing moments on the biggest occasions. That's a fact England coach Gareth Southgate noted when was asked to pay tribute to one of British soccer’s greats. In his mind, Bale represents a very live threat. “He’s had a fantastic — or is having a fantastic career,” he said. “Clearly his club career and what he won with Real Madrid is phenomenal. We know that he’s capable of those individual moments of brilliance in the penalty area and from distance as well. Free kicks, of course, are a great strength.” Perhaps no team at the World Cup is more reliant on one player as Wales is with Bale. Not Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo – or Argentina with Lionel Messi. “I do the same as I always do. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” said Bale. “Sometimes I have a good game, sometimes I don’t. It’s football, it’s difficult to always play well. “I will give everything, like I always do for my country. I will just try to lead by example and hopefully that’s enough on the day. That is all I can do.”

Carlos Casemiro scored the only goal for Brazil as the South American giants beat Switzerland in their second match of the FIFA World Cup on Sunday night and secured their place in the tournament’s Round of 16 with two wins from two games. Following the match played at Doha’s Stadium 974, Brazil are now top of the points table in Group G with six points from two matches. Switzerland are right behind them with three points, while Serbia and Cameroon have a point each after their thrilling 3-3 draw earlier in the day.  Brazil headed to this match without their main star Neymar who sustained a blow to his ankle in their World Cup opener. Tite’s men felt the absence of Neymar throughout the match.  It was assumed that a Brazil team without Neymar would not win a match easily against an opponent like Switzerland.  Read More: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Mohammed Kudus scores winner as Ghana beat South Korea in five-goal thriller Vinicius Jr won a free kick early in the match. He was running unopposed down the left flank. All of a sudden, he was stopped by only a Swiss foul. Richarlison, the hero of Brazil’s first win, took the free kick that passed over everyone.  Legendary Brazilian striker RonaldoI, as well as Cafu and Roberto Carlos, the best-ever fullback pairing for the Selecao, all of them World Cup winners in 2002, were seen in the gallery of the 974 stadium. That might have inspired Brazilian supporters to come in full voice in the gallery. The Swiss supporters were outnumbered in this match in the venue. Richarlison ran well behind the Swiss defense. In the 14th minute of the match, Paqueta fed him with an outside of the boot flick, but Richarlison failed to reach Vinicius Jr in the middle. It was a really lovely piece of play from the men of Tite.  After a few minutes into the game, Switzerland had a good platform in the center of the pitch after a foul by Casemiro. They took a free kick that was not strong enough to reach Brazil’s net. Switzerland were a bit wasteful whenever they reached Brazil’s half.  Brazil were slightly better than Switzerland in the first half of the game. But the Swiss also grew into the game.  Coming into the second half of the match, Brazil got brighter and they kept attacking relentlessly.  Read More: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Cameroon, Serbia share points as match ends in 3-3 draw In the 66th minute, Vinicius Jr looked like he put Brazil in front with a neat finish, but his strike was ruled out for an offside in the build-up. Brazil did not stop there. They eventually scored in the 83rd minute when the ball fell to Casemiro inside the box and the midfielder lashed home an audacious first-time finish with the outside of his boot.  The Casemiro goal came as a sigh of relief for the Brazilians as they managed to get over the line in this game against Switzerland, leaving nothing to chance in their remaining group game, for which Neymar will again be missing. The Paris Saint Germain star is expected to be fighting to be fit for the knockout phase games.

The Brazilian team taking part in Qatar has been called the best team to take part in the tournament since the legend-filled triumphant side of 2002. A hugely important figure in the current Selecao team is Neymar. No wonder that his knee injury in Brazil's 2-0 win against Serbia in their opening game of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has caused worldwide concern amongst the fanbase. With Neymar expected to be out for the remaining group stage games, his presence could prove vital to Tite's side. Will Brazil continue to shine without Neymar? Read More: Spain vs Germany FIFA World Cup 2022 LIVE Streaming: Where and how to watch online and on TV Channel, predicted XI A Big Miss? Brazil are the most successful team when it comes to the FIFA World Cup. The South American nation also hold the record for taking part in all 22 editions of the tournament. For the Qatar 2022 tournament, Neymar Jr. is a very important player for the Selecao. The PSG attacker is Brazil's second-top scorer with 75 goals in 122 games for the Selecao, only behind Pele, who has 77 goals. In qualifying, the Brazilian scored eight goals, which was the most for his country and two more than second-placed Richarlison. With 55 assists to his name, the Santos youth product is an elite playmaker who can also score goals. Although some criticism has been drawn up against him for his commitment to football at club level, he has been exceptional when he has been on the pitch for Paris Saint-Germain. In the past year, he has been in the top 1% for xA, non-penalty xG+xA, shot-creating actions, passes attempted among forwards, and progressive passes. With 11 goals and 9 assists in 1080 league minutes, he has been in red-hot form for his club. He's been doing it for PSG in the UCL as well, scoring two and assisting two in five UCL games. Without a doubt, he is one of the best players on the planet right now. Thus, now that his undeniable importance has been established, how much will Brazil miss him? Is there someone who can replace him in that squad? Read More: Iran shuts out noise at World Cup but United States looms The Solution As already seen in the game against Serbia, where the European team largely managed to silence Neymar, Brazil is not entirely dependent on the PSG forward to get them out of sticky situations.It is no longer the case where Brazil depends on moments of magic from their talisman in order to defeat mid-level or top-level opponents. With an attack that boasts the likes of Vinicius Junior, Richarlison, Raphinha, Gabriel Martinelli, Rodrygo, Antony, and Gabriel Jesus, Brazil are well stocked in the attacking department even in the absence of Neymar. Neymar has predominantly been seen being deployed in the hole behind the frontline, a position that could be occupied by Lucas Paqueta and Gabriel Jesus to a highly successful degree. In the match, Brazil played a midfield trio of Casemiro, Lucas Paqueta, and Neymar. This midfield struggled to recycle the ball and lacked balance in the first half. The introduction of Bruno Guimaraes changed the outcome of the match, bringing balance to the heart of Brazil. Thus, in the wake of Neymar's injury, Tite could explore playing a more balanced midfield, which will allow his forwards to play with more freedom and lessen the pressure that is usually put on the backline. But if he wants a like-for-like replacement for the Sao Paulo-born superstar, then Gabriel Jesus and Lucas Paqueta can easily step up in his position to fill his void to some extent. Read More: Australia's emotions run high after rare World Cup win Verdict Similar to Messi and Ronaldo, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 could be Neymar's final World Cup appearance. We saw in 2014 what he was capable of when he's on form, at his peak. His injury in that World Cup was a huge setback for the host countries, who were humiliated in the semifinals by eventual winners Germany. Neymar is unarguably the most key element in his Brazilian attack. However, if he is the best rice in the world, his teammates will add flavour and color. Brazil have already demonstrated that their Samba magic is in full flow, and it will continue in the remainder of the group stage despite the absence of their star player Neymar.

For a brief moment after Saudi Arabia's Salem Aldawsari fired a ball from just inside the penalty box into the back of the net to seal a World Cup win against Argentina, Arabs across the divided Middle East found something to celebrate. Such Arab unity is hard to come by and fleeting when it arrives. But Qatar's hosting of the World Cup has provided a moment where many in the Arab world have rallied by Doha and the Saudi team's win. Whether that momentum continues will be tested on Saturday as Saudi Arabia faces Poland — and as regional tensions, religious differences and renewed economic competition between countries resume. “All Arabic countries are celebrating because one Arab team won,” said 27-year-old Saudi Rakan Yousef after Arab fans congratulated him in Doha, Qatar, on the Green Falcons’ win. “Even the emir of Qatar attended our match. ... There’s this feeling now that we are all brothers. That’s why I’m speechless.” The Arab world's division start even with the Arabic language. Spoken Arabic changes regionally, with the Berber-infused Arabic of North Africa, the rapid-fire Egyptian heard in movies and television comedies, the soft Levantine drawl and the guttural dialect of the Gulf Arabs. Read more: Saudi fans put on brave face after World Cup loss to Poland Religion is another differentiator — there are Muslims, both Sunni and Shiite with subgroups within, and minority Christians, Druze, Baha'i and others. Different views on religion and regional rivalries bleed into conflicts, such as the ongoing war in Yemen. But despite an attempt by al-Qaida to stir up extremists, the monthlong World Cup in energy-rich Qatar so far has seen unity among the Gulf Arab nations. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the heads of state in two countries that only some two years ago had boycotted Qatar, attended the tournament's opening match. Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, called Qatar's hosting of the tournament “a milestone for all Arabs" and also attended the opening. That feeling was shared by others as well. “We are proud to be here for the first World Cup in an Arabic country,” Morocco coach Walid Regragui said. Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi similarly praised Qatar while dismissing the criticisms of journalists — and by extension, rights groups. “Qatar did a tremendous job organizing a World Cup. ... Qatar never claimed it was perfect,” Safadi said. “We have differences in opinion, we have differences in views but that should not take away from the fact that Qatar has really put together a World Cup that is unique in every sense of the word.” Read more: On outskirts of Doha, laborers watch World Cup they built But the biggest surprise came two days later as Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina by winning their opener in the tournament, with Aldawsari doing a cartwheel and a flip. Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, attended the match and wore a Saudi flag around his shoulders. One veteran Saudi sports journalist, Majed al-Tuwaijri, even wept on air after the match. “This is the most beautiful and important moment in my life and my 30-year media career," he said, his voice choking up. “I find myself failing to express myself because of the complexity of my feelings toward this great historical victory.” Saudi Arabia's King Salman declared Wednesday a public holiday to commemorate the win. In the kingdom and outside of it, people cheered and waved the country's green and white flag to celebrate. The Saudi flag itself carries two images that show its complicated place in the wider Arab world. It bears a white sword and the Arabic inscription of the shahada, a Muslim declaration of faith: "There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” After the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 A.D., Islam spread from the austere desert reaches of the Arabian Peninsula that later would become Saudi Arabia. Today, Saudi Arabia maintains beheading as a form of execution and is one of the world's top enforcers of the death penalty. The kingdom also has used its oil money since the 1980s to export an ultraconservative view of Islam called Wahhabism into mosques around the world. Extremists have exploited Wahhabi organizations receiving Saudi funding as well. That history, as well as regional politics, make a wholehearted embrace of Saudi Arabia more complicated for Arabs in the Mideast. While some celebrated Saudi Arabia's win in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian enclave blockaded by Egypt and Israel is ruled by the militant group Hamas. The kingdom, while not diplomatically recognizing Israel, now allows Israeli airlines overflight rights. The limits also can be seen in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has been fighting the country's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels since 2015. Houthi Information Minister Daifallah al-Shami on Twitter offered “a thousand congratulations” to Saudi Arabia for placing “Arab football back on the map.” He later deleted the tweet and apologized. “There are red lines that no party or person should cross,” al-Shami wrote. The Saudi win, which the daily newspaper Okaz described as “restoring the glories” of the kingdom, also fits into the new, more nationalistic Saudi Arabia forming under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. As the prince has risen to power, the kingdom has socially liberalized by allowing women to drive, reopening movie theaters and curtailing its morality police. His comments to the team ahead of the tournament, urging them to “enjoy” the matches, have been repeated constantly in Saudi Arabia's tightly controlled press. But Prince Mohammed also led a self-described corruption crackdown targeting anyone with power in the kingdom. U.S. intelligence agencies believe the brutal slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul came at his orders, something denied by the kingdom. Meanwhile, economic competition between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia has been increasing as Riyadh tries to draw international business from Dubai. Qatar, which faced a Saudi-led boycott only two years earlier, has embraced the kingdom while solidifying ties with the United States as hedge. The inconclusive war in Yemen still rages. Soccer provides a respite, but no panacea for those woes. “You’d have to have a historical lobotomy to think this is a stable region,” said David B. Roberts, an associate professor at King’s College London who long has studied Gulf Arab nations.

The first match of Group D of the Qatar World Cup between Croatia and Morocco ended in a goalless draw on Wednesday at the Al Bayt Stadium. Both sides suffered due to a lack of a proper finisher to find the back of the net, and eventually all the attacks were stopped by the defenders. Therefore, Croatia and Morocco got one point each from this contest. Croatia vs Morocco: Match Report It was a game where both sides tried to formulate attacks while keeping three players in the midfield. Morocco took more shots at Croatia's goalpost, but only two were on target. Croatia, on the other hand, had two shots on target out of five. But given the way Morocco tried to pose attacks, they were closer to finding the net than their opposition, despite having less possession (35%) than Croatia. Read More: Spain Squad analysis for 2022 World Cup Morocco’s primary target was to formulate an attack by using their two wing-backs, Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui. On occasions, they attempted to sneak past the Croatian defenders from the middle.Hakimi, in particular, played an important role going forward and blocking Croatia’s attack when going back to defense. But they struggled to find the net because of the lack of efficiency in the attacking lineup. Croatia had the same problem as well. Playing with the same 4-3-3 formation, Croatia tried to make attacks through the midfield position, and they had 65% of the possession. Veteran Luka Modric was the heart of their attack. However, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner was mostly ineffective in this contest. He tried on a number of occasions to beat the opposition's defenders and also made solo efforts with long-range shots, but none were successful. But Ivan Perisic and Andrej Kramaric couldn’t really provide the magical performances upfront, and they failed to outfox the defenders. Read More: Fracturing jaw during World Cup match vs Argentina, Saudi footballer al-Shahrani says he’s ok In contrast, defenders were more solid and tight and had a better game than their respective sides' offensive players. It seemed both sides' coaches took a cautious approach. They tried not to lose the contest rather than play with aggressive intent. They seemed happy to share points with one another. Way Forward Croatia and Morocco are genuine contenders in Group F to move on to the next round. The other top contender from this group is Belgium, while Canada have a very minimal chance. Therefore, both sides have this equation in the back of their minds when playing the match. They played safe and shared the points with each other. Overall, from a fan's perspective, it has been probably one of the least impressive games so far in the Qatar World Cup tournament.

Authorities at World Cup venues in Qatar have recently ordered two American journalists to take off clothing items with rainbow patterns. A policeman informed Los Angeles Times reporter Kevin Baxter on Saturday (November 19, 2022) that wearing a rainbow-coloured mask was “not permitted” at the US national team’s training facility in Qatar. Read: What is ‘One Love’ armband and why is FIFA against it in World Cup 2022? Two days later, veteran US journalist Grant Wahl said that he was instructed by security to remove a shirt with a rainbow pattern around a football at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, where the US team was going to play Wales on Monday (November 21, 2022) night. FIFA stated the incident was an “error” and that it had been “resolved”, Yahoo Sports reported. In a subsequent tweet, Wahl said that he had been held for “almost half an hour.” He said on his website that a security guard “forcefully ripped my phone from my hands” when he tweeted about the incident. After what he called an “ordeal,” he was eventually permitted to enter with the shirt on, the Yahoo Sports report added. Read More: FIFA denies Belgium’s request to wear jerseys with “Love” label at Qatar World Cup One of the many hot-button issues surrounding this World Cup in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal, is LGBTQ rights. The joint World Cup organisers FIFA and the Supreme Committee have assured LGBTQ participants and supporters that they are welcome. Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, said on Saturday that he has “been speaking about this topic with the highest leadership of the country — several times, not just once. And they have confirmed that I can confirm that everybody is welcome.” However, seven European teams abandoned their plans to wear rainbow-coloured anti-discrimination armbands before the start of Monday’s game when FIFA threatened them with “sporting fines.” Two days before Belgium’s Group F match against Canada, ESPN reported that FIFA had ordered Belgium to remove the word “love” off the collar of their shirts. Read: FIFA’s punishment threat forces European team captains to abandon ‘One Love’ armbands FIFA World Cup 2022 organisers’ inability to oversee each and every local police officer and security guard in Qatar has long been a source of concern for Western officials and football fans. Grant Wahl said that a FIFA official had apologised to him. 

Given the level of focus on the Qatari regime, its attitudes toward human rights, immigrant workers, the LGBTQ community — and beer — the World Cup host’s soccer team has slipped under the radar. Qatar opened the tournament against Ecuador on Sunday, but even the buildup to that match was overshadowed by Friday’s announcement that the sale of beer will be banned inside the stadium grounds. The World Cup is a source of immense national pride for Qatar in its attempt to raise its profile on the global stage and drive toward modernization. But what about the team? Read: FIFA earn record $7.5b in revenues for current World Cup period “The best thing that can happen is to focus on football, keep calm and avoid the noise and rumors,” Qatar coach Felix Sanchez said Saturday. “Obviously we don’t like it when people criticize our country. We managed to have great preparation, kept calm and that’s how we planned this.” Qatar has never before appeared in a World Cup and faces a major challenge just to emerge from Group A, which also includes Senegal and the Netherlands. South Africa in 2010 is the only host nation to fail to get beyond the group stage, so to avoid sharing that distinction would be success in itself. Sunday may be Qatar’s best hope for a victory against an Ecuador team that is only five places above it at No. 44 in the FIFA rankings. Qatar’s preparation for this tournament has been going on for several years, including involvement in the 2019 Copa America and 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. But it was victory in the 2019 Asian Cup that provided evidence of the country’s potential to provide a shock over the next few weeks. That continental title was masterminded by Sanchez, who has been in the position since 2017 and before that was in charge of the under-19 team. The 46-year-old Spaniard learned his trade at Barcelona’s famed academy and his impact has been remarkable, with the Asian Cup success his standout moment. But the World Cup is another level entirely. Read: FIFA World Cup 2022: Things you need to know “We are aware who we are, where we are coming from and who we are facing,” Sanchez said. “We will try to give our all, try to be competitive against such talented teams. It will be a great challenge for us. “When the statistics add up it makes them the favorite. History told us that. Having said this, we consider ourselves to be competitive and worthy of being here.” Ecuador will hope to spoil the party — and has been talked about as a potential surprise package. But the team heads to the World Cup on the back of doubts about whether it would even be allowed to compete after claims it fielded an ineligible player during qualifying. Chile and Peru argued that defender Byron Castillo was actually Colombian and illegally played in qualifying matches. That claim was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Ecuador kept its place at the World Cup, but will be deducted three points before the start of qualifying for the 2026 competition because of the use of false information on Castillo’s birthday and birthplace in its proceedings to grant him a passport. Castillo was then left out of coach Gustavo Alfaro’s 26-man squad for Qatar. With so much focus away from the field for both teams, Sunday’s opener will bring the conversation back to soccer.

With four titles, Germany are tied with Italy as the second-most successful team in the FIFA World Cup behind Brazil. Their most recent triumph came on Brazilian soil in 2014, where a team of modern greats such as Bastian Schweinsteiger, Phillip Lahm, Manuel Neuer, Miroslav Klose, and co. beat Argentina 1-0 in the final to become world champions. A hugely disappointing tournament followed when, under Joachim Low, Germany were knocked out of the group stages due to a defeat to South Korea on the final day. Let's analyze Germany's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Germany’s Squad for Qatar World Cup 2022 Germany are always a dangerous side when it comes to the World Cup. The DFB-Team is not considered a heavy favourite to win the competition's 22nd edition in Qatar. This time aiming for number five. But do they have the players to do that? Read More: France Squad Analysis for 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp The German goalkeeping situation has been constant for over a decade now, with Manuel Neuer expected to start in between the sticks once again at his fourth consecutive world cup. The revolutionary sweeper keeper is no longer at his peak, but he's still good enough to lead the nets for Bayern Munich. Defence Armel Bella Kotchap, Mathias Ginter, Christian Gunther, Thilo Kehrer, Lukas Klostermann, David Raum, Antonio Rudiger, Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Sule Germany have usually deployed a back four, with Niklas Sule partnered with clubmate Nico Schlotterbeck or Antonio Rudiger in recent matches. Mathias Ginter and Armel Bella Kotchap will be the fourth and fifth choices, respectively. The left-back slot will most likely be occupied by David Raum, with Christian Gunther expected to be his backup. The right back position will be contested by Lukas Klostermann and Thilo Kehrer. Read More: FIFA World Cup 2022: Things you need to know Midfield Leon Goretzka, Mario Gotze, Julian Brandt, Ilkay Gundogan, Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, Thomas Muller, Jonas Hoffman The base of the German midfield will be Joshua Kimmich and club teammate Leon Goretzka. It is the position ahead of them that will be tightly contested. Jamal Musiala could also be deployed with one of them if the opposition is weaker than Germany. Mathias Ginter might be deployed if Germany want a more defense minded midfield. In the hole behind the striker, both Gotze and Muller could play there, but Muller is the more preferred option. Jamal Musiala is also versatile enough to be played here without any trouble. Ilkay Gundogan's most likely position is here or just below as a mezzala. Julian Brandt and Jonas Hoffman are more attack-minded players who can also play on the wings. They are unlikely to start, rather a good option off the bench against a tired opposition. Attack Karim Adeyemi, Niclas Fullkrug, Serge Gnabry, Kai Havertz, Youssoufa Moukoko, Leroy SaneKai Havertz is expected to lead the line as a false nine or a deep lying forward due to Timo Werner's injury. Niclas Fullkrug is much more of a traditional forward, but he is unlikely to start. Karim Adeyemi could also be an option to consider upfront, as could be 17-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko, but both are unlikely, Moukoko more so than Adeyemi. On the wings, Jonas Hoffman, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, and Julian Brandt will be the options. Gnabry and Sane will be the first-choice starters, with Hoffman and Brandt behind them. Musiala or Adeyemi could also be deployed on the wings if needed. Read More: Qatar vs Ecuador FIFA World Cup 2022 LIVE Streaming: Where and how to watch online and on TV Channel, predicted XI Verdict Under Hansi Flick, Germany are expected to play high-tempo, high-pressing football. Their recent results have not been spectacular, but they have not been bad either. In a group featuring the likes of Spain, Japan, and Costa Rica, Germany should easily finish in the top two, or at least they are expected to given their squad strength. Although a fifth-place finish appears unlikely this time, Die Mannschaft will undoubtedly be entertaining to watch at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.