For the first time in 12 years, Germany have made it to the knockout stage of the World Cup. Yep, it may sound strange, but it has been 12 years since one of the most feared national teams in the World, Germany have been in the knockout stages of this tournament, and they had a struggle to get here. While Julian Nagelsmann's side won the group stage with a game to spare, losing to Ecuador on the final day of the group stage, without center back Nico Schlotterbeck being available for the match.
That caused Naglesmann ot insert Antonio Rudiger into the defense. While the Real Madrid man has been a regular for Germany in the past, he lost his starting role and will need to ensure that he doesn't become a liability facing Paraguay, as Germany could be facing France if they make it to the round of 16.
"It is always about winning when talking about the national team, trying to win every game. How you deal with expectations is just self-confidence, give the players a good plan so they feel comfortable and do the right things on the pitch," Naglesmann said in his pre-match press conference. "If you win, everything is perfect, if you lose, everything is shit, so we have to win tomorrow."
Of course, that puts pressure on the squad, but that's something that they need to make sure that Germany can get back to their best. Despite the lack of success lately for the national team, this is a side expected to be in the mix to win the World Cup.
How to watch Germany vs. Paraguay
Date: Monday, June 29 | Time: 4:30 p.m. ET Location: Gillette Stadium -- Foxborough, Massachusetts TV: FOX (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free) Odds: Germany -300; Draw +400; Paraguay +850
Germany vs. Paraguay predicted starting lineups
Germany: Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Antonio Rudiger, Jonathan Tah, Maximilian Mittelstädt, Robert Andrich, Granit Xhaka, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Leroy Sane, Kai Havertz
Paraguay: Antony Silva, Omar Alderete, Fabian Balbuena, Junior Alonso, Blas Riveros, Miguel Almiron, Andres Cubas, Mathias Villasanti, Gabriel Avalos, Antonio Sanabria, Adam Bareiro
Germany vs. Paraguay pick, prediction
Germany haven't been at their best since beating Curacao 7-1 in the first match, and they'll be able to get back on the right track with Kai Havertz scoring against Paraguay, but it won't be a strong enough performance to alleviate concerns about what may come next. Pick: Germany 2, Paraguay 0
Check out our World Cup expert predictions.
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