By Karolos Grohmann
BOSTON, Massachusetts, June 23 (Reuters) - Already-qualified Germany will look to make it three wins out of their three Group E matches on Thursday when they take on Ecuador, aiming to stretch their winning run to 12 consecutive games and keep their World Cup momentum going.
Coach Julian Nagelsmann will need to change his backline after starting centre back Nico Schlotterbeck was ruled out for the rest of the tournament with an ankle ligament injury he picked up in their 2-1 last-gasp
win over Ivory Coast last week.
Antonio Ruediger, who replaced Schlotterbeck in that game, is likely to earn his first start of the tournament, playing alongside Jonathan Tah in the heart of the German defence.
Nagelsmann's backline has been a little shaky at times and the absence of Schlotterbeck will test it further against Ecuador, who have their backs to the wall after managing only a goalless draw against Curacao and having lost their opener to Ivory Coast.
The South Americans, who had 28 attempts at goal against Curacao but could not find the target, are in third place on one point, ahead of Curacao on goal difference.
They had arrived at the tournament on a 19-match unbeaten run, having finished South American qualifying runners-up to reigning world champions Argentina, and now need to beat the Germans to have any chances of advancing. Ivory Coast are second in the group on three points.
The Germans, on six, have already secured top spot in the group whatever the result, and will play their Round of 32 match in Boston. They are still waiting to see which team they will face. The Germans, however, are unlikely to take their foot off the gas or rest key players ahead of the knockout stages with the team eager to keep up their winning run.
"We have to stay in the flow because every win is good for us," attacking midfielder Nadiem Amiri said.
"It is an extremely important match for us with a lot of fans coming from Germany so we want to win it 100% and we will go in with maximum intensity."
It is that maximum intensity that Nagelsmann wants to maintain after his team reached the knockout stage for the first time in 12 years, following two first-round exits in the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, and instantly raised hopes among their fans of a fifth world title.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
