Pandora Hughes
- Spain v Germany
- Sunday, November 27, 2022, 14:00 ET
- At the Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Germany cannot afford defeat in their second Group E game but they rated as underdogs in the betting markets against high-scoring Spain.
Who do Bettors Favor?
According to the best-rated online sportsbooks Spain is the strong favorites with bettors to back up their opening victory against their main Group rivals. Luis Enrique’s team are the +136 favorites to win this one, while Germany are rated as +195 in a match they cannot afford to lose. The draw is the biggest price of the three options, at +267.
| Spain v Germany |  |  |  |
| Spain | +136 | +141 | +140 |
| Draw | +267 | +260 | +265 |
| Germany | +195 | +181 | +185 |
World Cup Group E Betting Briefing
Group E was supposed to be the ‘Group of Death’. The 2010 winners Spain and the 2014 winners Germany being drawn in the same Group seemed to leave little chance for Japan or Costa Rica to get through. But as so often happens in the opening round of World Cup games, expectations were turned upside down and the Group took an unexpected turn.
By beating Germany, Japan made a dramatic statement and gave themselves a great opportunity not just to qualify but to win the section. It wasn’t just the fact of their victory, but the manner of it that grabbed the headlines, as the underdogs mounted a spirited comeback and deservedly took the lead, before showing tremendous resilience to hang on for the win.
Costa Rica came into the tournament as the underdog of the Group and they did little to dispel that assessment as they folded completely against an exciting Spanish team. Spain grabbed an early goal and then took complete control of the game and of the Group, running out 7-0 winners, and putting them on course for qualification for the knockout stages.
Rampant Spain Must Refocus
Given the shocks that have already occurred in this tournament, Spanish fans will have been breathing an early sigh of relief as their team opened the scoring against Costa Rica on 11 minutes and then proceeded to dominate the rest of the match, finding the net seven times in all.
But their manager will know that they need to refocus ahead of this challenge. If they were to slip to defeat against Germany, the Group would be wide open again and their good work against Costa Rica would count for a lot less than it does right now.
Against the CONCACAF fourth-best team, Spain were able to play on the front foot, but they will have to accept a different role against Germany, whose attacking instincts will be further fuelled by the need to push for all three points. Can Spain cope with a game in which they may be required to play more on the counter and to defend for long periods? We will learn a lot about their World Cup chances in this game.
Germany Up Against It
After their struggles at the 2018 World Cup, German players and fans would not have expected their opening game against Japan to be easy, but to lose after leading and dominating at halftime was particularly disappointing and they are up against it as they try to get back into Group E contention.
The problem for their manager is that Germany can only really play one way. They press relentlessly and hope to overwhelm their opponents. But if that approach failed against Japan, how will they cope against a much stronger team in Spain?
The all-out attacking style that Flick has instituted is always liable to give opponents a chance and the problem is exacerbated by the fact that the German defense is not as accomplished as the rest of the team, yet plays a pivotal role in the sophisticated system they are attempting.
Against Japan they huffed and puffed but were unable even to get an equalizer and so recovering from that experience and simultaneously raising their game to face Spain will demand a lot.
World Cup Group E Match Betting
Group E always promised to be a fascinating section, but the opening round of games has added new layers of intrigue and one of the two big guns of the tournament is now facing the possibility of an early and ignominious exit from the competition.
Germany are in the process of rebuilding and they were not necessarily expected to go all the way to lift the trophy in Qatar, but going out in the Group stage would represent a major setback.
Their problem in the second game is that their opponents are under no pressure. Germany will have no choice but to make the running and try to force a result. But I don’t think they will be able to bully Spain who will be able to sit back and pick their moments to attack. This could be a minor classic, with plenty of goals, but Spain look the best pick in the Match Betting market.
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