Two big European names meet right at the start, in the group phase. As such, Spain and Germany are very much the two teams best placed to go through the knockout stages. Thus, the Spanish and the Germans will be looking to secure first place in order to have an easier ride in the knockout phases.
Behind them, Japan and Costa Rica aren’t setting out with any backing from the predictions. Out of these two nations, the Japanese seem to have the most chance of getting out of the group phases in the event of a bad performance from the Spanish or Germans.
The favourites and the outsiders of Group E in the 2022 World Cup
Thus, two teams logically seem to stand out in this group. The four-time winners of the competition, Germany, who have a new lease of life thanks to the new generation of players, by Musiala, Havertz or even Schlotterbeck. And with Spain, winners of the 2010 World Cup, who will want to put on a good performance in Qatar. Thus, it seems like an obvious choice to put the Spanish and the Germans ahead in this group.
The two other nations competing in this group will do everything to prove the predictions wrong. Having got through to the round of 16 in 2018, and having almost prevailed over Belgium, Japan has more up its sleeve than Costa Rica. If there is a winner in the clash between Spain and Germany, the Japanese might be able to rise to the occasion.
Group E Predictions – Favourites
- Spain: The Spanish will want to make it through the semi-final, after the last Euro. With promising young players like Pedri, Gavi and Pau Torres, the Spanish have a good chance of going the distance in this tournament.
- Germany: The German team has impressed since the arrival of Flick at the front of the line-up. With a more than decorated offensive line-up, this is a nation that would be best avoided in this competition.
Group E Predictions – Outsiders
- Japan: The Japanese team will not be easy to negotiate. However, they seem to have less capable players who could really make the difference than, say, Spain or Germany. Japan could, despite everything, look to surprise everyone.
- Costa Rica: It would be a shock to see the teammates of Keylor Navas get past the group stage. But the same was said in 2014 when Costa Rica was placed in an impossible group. But that didn’t stop them from finishing first.
