Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany enter the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in 12 years on Monday, hoping to avoid another South American upset against a Paraguay side that scraped through Group D in third place.
The four-time champions were rocked by an Ecuadorian win in New York in their final group outing, a dramatic defeat that left them stunned despite still finishing as Group E winners. The result ended an era of failure for the German national team, which had failed to escape the group stage since lifting the trophy in 2014.
“Germany return to World Cup knockouts for first time in 12 years, face Paraguay after Ecuador upset.”
Paraguay, meanwhile, eked through Group D in third place and will need to produce an even bigger shock than their continental counterparts if they are to progress. Diego Gomez will miss the match through suspension, but Miguel Almiron returns after serving his own ban. Omar Alderete and Ramon Sosa both need to be assessed for knee and muscle injuries.
Germany will be without Nico Schlotterbeck, who picked up an ankle injury against Ivory Coast and looks unlikely to feature again in the tournament. Nathaniel Brown missed the Ecuador game with a muscle issue but could return.
The winners of this tie will travel to Philadelphia for their last-16 fixture, where they will face either France or Sweden on Saturday 4 July. The match takes place at Boston Stadium on Monday 29 June at 9.30pm BST, airing live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, and on Fox Sports in the US.