Germany Predicted Lineup vs. Paraguay: World Cup Round of 32

Germany’s perfect start to its World Cup campaign was ended by Ecuador last time out.

Germany has been handed one of the easier round of 32 ties. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Germany is basking in the relief of a favorable draw for the World Cup round of 32 as it prepares to take on Paraguay at Gillette Stadium on Monday.

Germany’s performances have been regressing in North America, the 7–1 thrashing of Curaçao in its opener followed by an unconvincing, last-gasp win over Côte d’Ivoire. Most recently, Julian Nagelsmann’s men suffered defeat in the dying embers of their clash with Ecuador.

Improvements are necessary as the tournament progresses, but Die Mannschaft might not have to reach top gear to bypass Paraguay, which finished third in its group behind the USMNT and Australia.

Here’s how Germany could line up for its first knockout match of the summer.

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Germany Predicted Lineup vs. Paraguay

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Pick Your Germany XI!

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GK: Manuel Neuer—After coming out of international retirement for this summer’s tournament, Neuer has looked every bit a 40-year-old following some sub-par performances between the posts.

RB: Joshua Kimmich—Paraguay will sink deep and try to stifle any German creativity, putting even more onus on Kimmich to act as playmaker from deep.

CB: Jonathan Tah—Germany’s defense has looked suspect to date, and Tah was a bundle of nerves against Ecuador.

CB: Antonio Rüdiger—Nico Schlotterbeck’s tournament-ending ankle injury is a major blow for the four-time world champion, but in Rüdiger it has an incredibly experienced replacement.

LB: Nathaniel Brown—Bayern Munich-bound Brown missed the Ecuador defeat with a muscle injury, but the flying fullback is expected to feature against Paraguay with little bother.

CM: Felix Nmecha—The Borussia Dortmund midfielder has been one of the tournament’s leading performers. Well, until his disastrous display against Ecuador, which might have knocked his confidence.

CM: Aleksandar Pavlović—Pavlović wasn’t much better than Nmecha last time out, picking up a yellow card before being hooked at half time. The Bayern starlet should find life simpler against Paraguay, though.

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RW: Leroy Sané—The 30-year-old answered critics with his early strike against Ecuador, but anonymous displays against Curaçao and Côte d’Ivoire mean he’s still under pressure to improve.

AM: Jamal Musiala—Musiala’s twinkling toes have been seen in bursts in North America, but Nagelsmann requires more from the 23-year-old during the knockout phase.

LW: Florian Wirtz—Reflective of his debut season with Liverpool, Wirtz has been neat and tidy for his country without blowing defenses away. Like Musiala, the attacking midfielder needs to up his end product if Germany are to reach the tournament’s latter stages.

ST: Kai Havertz—Nagelsmann remains insistent on using in-form Deniz Undav as an impact substitute, preferring the fluidity of Havertz in his starting XI. The Arsenal man has blanked during the last two games after a brace in the demolition of Curaçao.

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