Flick is facing a big challenge as Germany meets Asian powerhouse Japan in the first game in group E.
After the big disappointment at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, when Germany dropped out at the group stage, the earliest exit in more than 80 years, and the miss at the Euro 2020, Hansi Flick has replaced Joackim Low.
The four-time World Cup champions have lost only once of 16 matches under Flick and have brought a new optimism in the new squad for this year tournament.
“It is a very big task, but we go into the match prepared and look forward to it”, said Flick.
The youngster Jamal Musiala can be a tough challenge for the Japan team after his 15 goals involvements so far this Bundesliga season.
This is Japans seventh World Cup, after their debut in 1998. The Samurai Blue have travelled to Qatar with eight German-based players, whom seven of them play in the Bundesliga.
Left winger for Japan, Takumi Minamino scored 10 goals and had four assisting under the qualification and is one of the key players for Japan, facing Germany.
“We would like to exert our best performance, play aggressively and with perseverance”, said Japans head coach Hajime Moriyasu.
Starting:
Germany XI: Neuer, Rudiger, Raum, Kimmich, Havertz, Gnabry, Muller, Musiala, Suele, Gundogan, Schlotterbeck.
Japan XI: Gonda, Itakura, Nagatomo, Endo, Kubo, Ito, Kamada, Tanaka, Sakai, Yoshia, Maeda.
