By Karolos Grohmann
BOSTON, Massachusetts, June 12 (Reuters) - Germany will look to start their World Cup campaign with a big win over Curacao, with the four-time champions out to repair their damaged international reputation following first-round exits in the previous two editions.
The Germans, who won the 2014 edition, have set their sights on a fifth world title even though they do not see themselves as among the favourites this year.
They could not have hoped for easier first opponents than minnows
Curacao, the smallest nation to qualify for the World Cup. Ecuador and Ivory Coast complete Group E.
Julian Nagelsmann's Germany are on a nine-match winning run, including a 4-0 victory over Finland in their last friendly at home on May 31 and a 2-1 win over World Cup co-hosts the United States six days ago.
Curacao are rank outsiders, with most of their players plying their trade in the Netherlands or in lower European leagues.
But veteran coach Dick Advocaat, who at 78 will become the oldest coach in World Cup history, relishes facing Germany in their tournament start.
"Germany are of course clear favourites in the group," Advocaat said. "They are still a big footballing country. Starting off against Germany is fantastic. We will find out immediately where we stand."
Advocaat knows there is a massive gap in quality, which Germany, with world-class players like Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz and Manuel Neuer, want to take advantage of to get their tournament off to a winning start.
"We aren't among the absolute top favourites—there are three or four others," said Germany national team director Rudi Voeller, a 1990 World Cup winner with Germany. "But we know how important an opening win is."
"We are here and want to be a team that is difficult to beat. We want to top our group and then assert ourselves in the knockout stage."
Any result other than victory could prove tricky in the group while also instantly piling pressure on the Germans, with fans back home desperate to see their team return to winning ways after their last two early exits.
"The two wins from our last two friendlies give us a good feeling and we want to maintain that here," Voeller said. "There is no guarantee if you win the first game that that is the way the tournament will go for you. We have to go through the group as the top team, there is no discussion about that. That is our goal."
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
