Key events
12 mins: Musiala is taken down by Singo on the halfway line. I assume the Bayern man will get plenty of close attention.
Schlotterbeck is struggling and may need to come off very soon.
Cote d’Ivoire launch a quick attack which concludes with Singo pummelling a shot into a German defender.
10 mins: Kimmich lifts in a cross for Havertz to attack, flicking his neck muscles to direct the ball towards the bottom corner but Fofana gets down quickly to save smartly.
Blair Stewart emails: “Seeing as how Nagelsmann managed to go through three wardrobe changes for the last match as if he’s late stage Elvis or Lady Gaga playing the strip in Las Vegas, what can we expect today during the “hydration breaks”?
“Feather boas? A Zoot Suit? Spaceman suit?
“Your thoughts please and thanks.”
Fedora or nothing.
8 mins: Cote d’Ivoire are putting the Germans under pressure on the ball, and vice versa. Fofana is forced into a mistake at the back, panicking amid the press, basically passing the ball out to the left to avoid being the victim of a pickpocket on his own line.
6 mins: Diomande has admitted to being turned down by Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Rangers and Olympiakos after having trials with the clubs. They may feel a little silly now.
4 mins: Germany are enjoying all the possession but when they lose it Cote d’Ivoire are primed to bounce. Their chance to counter sees Diomande get down the left and put in a cross from the byline but the Germans scramble it away. It would seem Diomande is fine.
2 mins: Diomande is hobbling around with a grimace on his face. Not ideal …
1 mins: Germany lump it up immediately, looking to put the Ivorians under pressure. The ball drops to Havertz inside the box but he spanks it over after 15 seconds.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
They’ve made it out to the pitch very early, so surely this match will kick off on time.
Here comes the teams, filing out behind their respective flags.
The players are heading to the tunnel …
“Either at the start of this season or the end of last there was a piece on the website where various Guardian football writers suggested innovations they would like to see,” writes David Wall. “One suggestion was for teams to switch tactics, or formations, or player positions during a match in a pre-planned way. For instance, a team might start in a 4-4-2 formation then at a pre-planned minute or on a signal from the manager, they would switch to 4-2-3-1, for 10 minutes, then switch back or to another formation. Or they might start in a low defensive position, looking to attack on the break, then similarly switch suddenly to an intensive pressing approach for a period, and so on. The thought was that the surprise would disrupt the patterns that the opponent had establish and in that time before they worked out what the new shape and approach was, and how to defend against it, you could score a goal or two (and we saw in England’s match against Croatia how many chances you can make in a very short period of time, when they could easily have scored 3 or 4 in the ten minutes after half time). We’ve already seen how the hydration breaks have allowed managers to make changes to shift the momentum if they’re struggling at that point. But I wonder if, by the later stages of the tournament, one of the more strategic managers will start using the hydration breaks for pre-planned tactical switches rather than merely reactive ones. And if they do, will they credit The Guardian for the idea?”
Sounds very Wilson.
Amrick emails: “Is it just me or does Gary Neville look a little put out (dare I say jealous) of the OG original Gary Lineker?”
Who wouldn’t?
Manuel Neuer is back between the sticks for Germany after coming out of international retirement aged 40. I can offer some insight that he prepared for the tournament with a holiday in Mallorca.
It feels like a big summer and season ahead for Amad Diallo. He has done reasonably well for Manchester United but I still debate if he can take them forward in the Champions League. He needs to show he can move up a couple of levels and thriving at a World Cup would help that.
Andrew Goudie emails: “Lineker is all well and good, but Duncan Ferguson is the break-out pundit of the tournament.”
I did interview Big Dunc during his spell at Forest Green, so I am not surprised his personality has shone in Brooklyn.
Nick Ames was on hand to watch Netherlands give Sweden a bit of a shooing.
Lineker, however, is happy to have a pop at the pricing, taking aim at Fifa.
Mark Bullingham is on ITV and bottles a question on the cost of tickets at this World Cup and how it has priced out many England fans. A rather cowardly response in my opinion.
Gary Lineker is on ITV. What a world we live in.
Starting lineups
Germany (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Brown; Nmecha, Pavlovic; Sane, Musiala, Wirtz; Havertz
Subs: Amiri, Anton, Baumann, Beier, Goretzka, Gross, Leweling, Nubel, Ouedraogo, Raum, Rüdiger, Stiller, Thiaw, Undav
Cote D’Ivoire (4-4-2): Y Fofana; Singo, Kossounou, Agbadou, Konan; Diallo, Kessie, Sangare, Yan Diomande; Bonny, Oulai
Subs: Adringra, Diakite, O Diomande, Doue, S Fofana, Guessand, Guiagon, Kone, Lafont, Ndicka, Operi, Pepe, Seri, Toure, Wahi
Some cracking larks in the Germany training camp where they have come face-to-face with venomous snakes in North Carolina.
“We saw a snake yesterday, we were told it was venomous. If you get bitten, you have to go to the hospital,” the midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. “I don’t think you’ll die, but it’s certainly dangerous. I have the feeling that if you step on a snake like that, it can end badly.
“That’s why we’re trying to keep our distance from animals here. I have respect for the people here. In Germany, I have the feeling there aren’t so many dangerous animals.”
Where are the Germans? Marching through Toronto it transpires and they really do care.
The Dutch lads are doing the business against Sweden to make a certain Mr Messi worried. Check out the Golden Boot standings.
Your daily England news.
There are no shortage of whispers around Yan Diomande’s future and how much it will cost Liverpool to sign him for RB Leipzig. The German club may hope he prospers tonight and they can shuck a few more quick onto the price tag.
Jamal Musiala was good against Curacao as a No 10. I will be interested to see how he copes against the Ivorians.
While you’re waiting for this one, join John Brewin for Netherlands v Sweden.
Pre-match reading.
Preamble
A win for either side here would put them through to the next round, so it is quite a big event. In an elongated tournament, the prospect of being able to rest some players for the final group game will be very important.
Germany were able to breeze past Curacao in their opening game, hitting seven. Not enough teams have been ruthless at this tournament but Julian Nagelsmann’s side showed they have the attacking capabilities required to go a long way, even if some will point to the quality of the opposition.
A very late Amad Diallo goal edged Côte d’Ivoire past Ecuador but that will have boosted confidence. Elye Wahi is at the centre of a spot-fixing investigation in France but has been allowed to enter Canada after some confusion. It will be interesting to see if he can focus on the match.
Let’s hope for a cracker!
