Besides a lucky win over Turkey, Paraguay haven’t shown much at the World Cup 2026. Germany have superior quality and should secure a clean win here to advance to the Round of 16.
Key Stats
- Germany have won 11 of their last 12 matches.
- Kai Havertz has scored 3 goals in his last 4 matches for Germany.
- Paraguay have failed to score in their last 2 matches.
Two Previous Meetings
Germany eliminated Paraguay at the World Cup 2002 Round of 16, while their second h2h clash was a 3-3 draw in a friendly match.
Germany Failed to Impress in the Group Stage
Germany’s World Cup 2026 campaign started with a convincing 7-1 victory against debutants Curacao, dominating the match with 4.22-0.41 expected goals, 65% possession and a 12-2 advantage in shots on target.
Die Mannschaft were properly challenged by Ivory Coast in the second round, trailing 1-0 at half-time, but completed a comeback in the second half, with Deniz Undav scoring a brace (the winner came in the 94th minute).
Julian Nagelsmann made minimal lineup changes for the third-round clash against Ecuador, where Germany had no pressure after already securing 1st place. Leroy Sane put them ahead just two minutes in, but they ended up losing the encounter 2-1 while posting only 0.65 xG.
Paraguay Heavily Focused on Defending
They arrived at WC 2026 as one of the strongest defensive teams, but their back line collapsed in a 4-1 defeat against the United States of America in the opening round. Mauricio scored a consolation goal here.
The South American side returned to winning ways in the second round against slightly favoured Turkey, winning 1-0 even though Miguel Almiron was sent off just before the break. They ended the match with 0.33-2.17 xG, 21% possession and a 7-32 deficit in shots.
In the final round, La Albirroja needed a point to secure a playoff spot and settled for a goalless draw against Australia, where both sides were too cautious to push forward. Paraguay recorded 0.24-0.55 expected goals and a 2-5 deficit in shots on target.
Team News & Predicted Lineups
Germany (4-2-3-1) Manuel Neuer; Joshua Kimmich, Antonio Rudiger, Jonathan Tah, David Raum; Felix Nmecha, Aleksandar Pavlovic; Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz; Kai Havertz
Even though he is having a great tournament so far, Deniz Undav is expected to start on bench here, Arsenal's Kai Havertz likely to lead the attack.
Paraguay (3-4-2-1) Carlos Gill; Gustavo Velazquez, Gustavo Gomez, Omar Alderete; Juan Caceres, Matias Galarza, Andres Cubas, Damian Maidana; Miguel Almiron, Julio Enciso; Gabriel Avalos
One of Paraguay's best players Miguel Almiron is back after serving a red-card suspension against Australia.
One of Paraguay's best players Miguel Almiron is back after serving a red-card suspension against Australia.