Germany vs Japan, FIFA World Cup 2022: Know where to watch live streaming in India

The 2014 champions Germany will square off against Japan in their opening encounter of the FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign on November 23 at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).

The German national team endured a poor UEFA Nations League A tournament ahead of the World Cup. They finished third in their group, drawing four, winning and losing one apiece of their six league phase matches.

As a result, they failed to qualify for the knockouts.

Die Mannschaft will also look to put behind the dreary memories of the 2018 edition when they crashed out of the group stage following a stunning 2-0 defeat to South Korea, where both goals were scored in injury time.

The unfortunate exit marked the end of Joachim Low’s tenure as the German coach, who guided them to the 2014 title.

Their recent form hasn’t been convincing either, with just three wins in their last nine games in all competitions.

To pile on to the misery, the Hansi Flick-coached side will miss the services of veterans Marco Reus and Timo Werner, who missed out on the flight to Qatar due to injuries.

On the other hand, the Japanese national team enjoyed a fairytale season last time out.

Progressing from a group consisting of Poland, Senegal and Colombia wasn’t an easy feat by any means. They were well on course for a major upset in the round of 16, before Belgium rallied from two goals down to win 3-2.

Ahead of the World Cup, the Hajime Moriyasu-coached side has been in better form as compared to their opponents. They have won 15 out of the 18 qualifying matches, smashing 58 goals in the process.

Furthermore, they have lost three of their last 11 matches in all competitions, which suggests positive preparations for the Maya Yoshida-led side.