World Cup 2018: Defending Champions Germany Must Beat South Korea
26 June, 2018
A defeat against Mexico in the opening round has put defending champions Germany's campaign in limbo in the FIFA World Cup 2018. Manuel Neuer's men will be in desperate need of a big win against South Korea in their last Group F clash at Kazan Arena on Wednesday. Mexico lead Group F with six points, while Germany are in second place with three points, ahead of Sweden on goal difference, and South Korea are at the bottom with zero.
German coach Joachim Low had given the team a rest on Sunday after their tense game, which saw Die Mannschaft on the edge of elimination from the tournament until Real Madrid's Toni Kroos scored the winning goal in extra time.
German defender Mats Hummels will be fit to play in the team's final Group F match, but it remains to be seen if midfielder Sebastian Rudy can take the pitch, assistant coach Marcus Sorg said on Monday.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday's game, Sorg said Hummels has recovered from a neck problem but that Rudy's participation was still in question after undergoing an operation to fix a broken nose he picked up in Germany's dramatic 2-1 win against Sweden on Saturday.
Sorg added that he valued the entire squad's strength in difficult times and praised Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira - substitutes against Sweden - for their model behaviour and for supporting their teammates.
South Korea captain Ki Sung-Yueng is set to miss the clash against Germany due to a muscle injury, the Korea Football Association said on Monday.
The Swansea City midfielder sustained a left calf injury during Saturday's 2-1 loss to Mexico at Rostov Arena.
Although the Taegeuk Warriors lost their first two matches to Sweden and Mexico, they still have the chance to qualify for the tournament's last-16 if they beat Germany and Mexico win over Sweden.