Jamal Musiala out to prove he is the best in the world as Germany take on Japan in Qatar

Four time champions Germany take on Japan looking to go beyond the round of 16 for the first time

Qatar 2022 Jamal Musiala out to prove he is the best in the world as Germany take on Japan in Qatar

Ayoola Kelechi 19:26 - 22.11.2022

Germany kick-off their Qatar 2022 World Cup campaign against Japan hoping to banish the ghosts of Russia, and they are finally looking to the next generation

Germany have a plethora of young players looking to make their mark in major international tournaments, but none are more heralded than Jamal Musiala. Die Mannschaft will be hoping that he can make a difference in the World Cup when they face Japan's tricky Blue Samurai.

Head-To-Head

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Germany and Japan Match Forms

Germany

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Japan

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Players to watch

Germany 

Joshua Kimmich 

Few players have as much of an impact on a game as Joshua Kimmich, whether he plays as a wingback or a midfielder. He excels in progressive passes, progressive carries, passes into the penalty area, and literally any other metric that shows a player’s importance to build up. 

Joshua Kimmich playing for Germany
Joshua Kimmich, along with Toni Kroos will help Germany control the tempo against Japan

Without him, both Germany and Bayern struggle to break lines or break down tough defenses, so you can expect him to be key to every buildup Germany conjures against Japan. 

Jamal Musiala 

Jamal Musiala is one of the best young players in the world. Some would even consider him THE best young player in the world. He was Bayern’s top scorer in the Bundesliga before the season went on break, and his prodigious talent is starting to earn him a reputation in the football world. 

Karim Adeyemi and Jamal Musiala training with Germany
Karim Adeyemi and Jamal Musiala represent a new generation of German hopes

At the 2022 World Cup, he could grow that reputation even further with more impressive performances, and where better to start than against Japan? 

Japan 

Takumi Minamino 

Former Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino is the highest goal-scoring Japanese player in their World Cup squad and is their most reliable goalscorer. 

Takumi Minamino playing for Japan
Takumi Minamino has scored 17 goals in 44 games for Japan and 10 of them came in qualifying for the Qatar World Cup

He scored 10 goals in qualifying for the Qatar World Cup, and if Japan are to cause an upset, it will be Minamino carrying most of their attacking burden. 

Takefusa Kubo 

Takefusa Kubo playing for Japan against the USA
Takefusa Kubo the "Japanese Messi"

Takefusa Kubo, a La Masia graduate and one of Japan's most creative midfielders, is still only 21 years old and represents both the present and the future of the sport in his nation. 

Due to his cunning, inventiveness, and penchant for the unexpected, Kubo has earned the moniker "the Japanese Messi," but Japan will be hoping he channels Lionel Messi's club form rather than his World Cup form when they play Germany.

Coaches

Hansi Flick 

Hansi Flick’s record as a manager speaks for itself. He was a sextuple champion with Bayern before becoming the head coach of the German national team, and he'll be looking to apply that level of expertise to the German team. 

Hansi Flick Germany
Hansi Flick is looking to win the World Cup again after winning it as assistant coach with Germany in 2014

This is Flick’s first major tournament with Germany, and with one of the best squads in the world, it would not be too much to expect him to get to another final with Germany after winning the 2014 World Cup as assistant manager. 

Hajime Moriyasu 

Hajime Moriyasu narrowly missed out on participating in the World Cup as a player with Japan, but now has the chance as a manager to lead Japan to their sixth World Cup, hoping to move past the round of 16 for the first time in their history. 

Hajime Moriyasu in Japan's training session
Hajime Moriyasu is hoping to become the first coach to take Japan beyond the Round of 16

To do that, a decent start against European giant Germany is needed, and Moriyasu’s tact and guile will need to be perfect for them to claim a scalp this big.

Predictions

Germany are heavy favorites to beat Japan, and by a wide margin. They have one of the best teams at the World Cup and are even tipped to win the tournament as a whole, so they’ll be raring to go in their first game. Germany should be winning this, and if Japan gets as much as a goal, they should consider it a miracle.

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