Group E features Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, and Curaçao. Germany are the obvious focal point of the group, boasting talents like Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Joshua Kimmich, Manuel Neuer, Kai Havertz, and Antonio Rüdiger. Ecuador doesn’t have the same gilded World Cup history, but their core of Moisés Caicedo, Willian Pacho, and Piero Hincapié are the foundation of a very strong team. Ivory Coast is returning to the World Cup for the first time since 2014, and Curaçao is making its first-ever
appearance at the tournament. On paper, Germany and Ecuador look like the clear favorites to top the group. Let’s take a look at Group E to quickly examine the teams and their chances of winning the group.
Schedule
Sunday, June 14th
Germany vs. Curaçao (1pm), Ivory Coast vs Ecuador (7pm)
Saturday, June 20th
Germany vs. Ivory Coast (4pm), Ecuador vs Curaçao (8pm)
Thursday, June 25th
Ecuador vs. Germany, Curaçao vs Ivory Coast (both at 4pm)
Germany
Germany were perennial contenders from 2002-2014, reaching the semifinals or better in four straight tournaments, and lifting the World Cup trophy in Brazil in 2014. In the two tournaments since, they’ve seen shock exits at the group stage. Can they finally get out of the group and become contenders again? Their squad is not short on high-profile players. Their 7-player Bayern Munich contingent includes Jamal Musiala, 40-year-old Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, and Leon Goretzka. Away from Bayern, they feature Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), and Leroy Sané (Galatasaray). There are several US connections on their roster, with Gio Reyna’s former Dortmund teammate Nico Schlotterbeck in defense, Christian Pulisic’s former Milan teammate Malick Thiaw (also a defender, now at Newcastle), and former German-American dual-national target Nathaniel Brown did get included in Germany’s 26-man squad after all. There were some surprise exclusions, with Karim Adeyemi, Marc-André ter Stegen, and Niclas Füllkrug left at home, but this squad is still strong and deep. They’ll look to get started with a commanding win against newcomers Curaçao, and a good result against Ivory Coast in their second game, so that they don’t end up in a tricky position against Ecuador in the final group match.
FIFA Ranking: 9
Elo Ranking: 11
Odds of Winning Group: Favorites
One to Watch: Jamal Musiala has become one of the most highly-touted young players in the world. Now 23, can he provide something special for Germany on the global stage?
Ecuador
Ecuador made their first World Cup appearance in 2002, and have been back 3 times since, with 2006 marking the only time they got out of their group (they lost in the round of sixteen). Their roster definitely has some top-end talent. Moisés Caicedo has made more than 100 Chelsea appearances, after a record £100 million transfer from Brighton. Willian Pacho has won back-to-back Champions League titles as a starting central defender with PSG. Fellow defender Piero Hincapié was just on the wrong end of the Champions League final last weekend as Arsenal fell to PSG. Left back Pervis Estupiñán made 84 Brighton appearances before joining Christian Pulisic at AC Milan. Ageless forward Enner Valencia (36) is now with Pachuca in Liga MX, 19-year-old Kendry Páez made a €20 million move to Chelsea when he was 16, and MLS fans may remember central midfielder Pedro Vite, who made 105 appearances with the Vancouver Whitecaps before joining Pumas UNAM in Liga MX. If Ecuador can start strong against Ivory Coast in their opener, they could be in great position to advance by overcoming Curaçao in their second match before they have to face Germany to finish the group.
FIFA Ranking: 23
Elo Ranking: 9
Odds of Winning: Contender
One to Watch: Willian Pacho commands the defense, but Moisés Caicedo will need to be a dominant force in the middle for Ecuador to reach the heights they’re capable of.
Ivory Coast
Côte d’Ivoire made their first World Cup appearance in 2006, where they did not get out of the group, and they did the same thing in 2010 and 2014 before failing to qualify for the past two tournaments. They’re back now, and hoping for better. Manchester United attacker Amad Diallo will look to spark the attack, and former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pépé is also on the squad (now at Villarreal). The midfield includes Franck Kessié (formerly of AC Milan, now at Al-Ahli), Jean Michael Seri (was Fulham, now Maribor), and former PSV holding mid Ibrahim Sangaré (now at Nottingham Forest). They’ll be underdogs as they kick off their tournament against Ecuador, and they’ll need to put up a good fight before facing Germany in their second match.
FIFA Ranking: 34
Elo Ranking: 52
Odds of Winning: Outside Shot
One to Watch: Amad Diallo is special on the ball; it will be fun to see if he can create some special memories for the Ivory Coast supporters in this tournament.
Curaçao
Curaçao is making its first World Cup appearance. Most of their players were born and raised in the Netherlands, and there’s a strong Eredivisie influence in the group. Midfielder Leandro Bacuna made 116 Aston Villa appearances and plays for Iğdır in Turkey’s second tier now. Attacking midfielder Tahith Chong made 5 Manchester United appearances and was Josh Sargent’s club teammate at Werder Bremen before joining Sheffield United, where he is now. Striker Jürgen Locadia had a stint with FC Cincinnati and is now at Miami FC, teaming up with goalkeeper Eloy Room, formerly of the Columbus Crew. Defenders Armando Obispo and Shurandy Sambo have been Sergiño Dest and Ricardo Pepi’s club teammates at PSV, though Sambo is now at Sparta Rotterdam. Defender/holding mid Riechedly Bazoer made 51 Ajax appearances, and is now at Konyaspor. And for the deep cut, winger Sontje Hansen (now 24) scored a brace and added an assist in the Netherlands’ 4-0 win that knocked the USA out of the 2019 U-17 World Cup. That USA U-17 team included Ricardo Pepi, Gio Reyna, and Joe Scally. Curaçao have a difficult road, starting against Germany and facing Ecuador in their second match. They may be in a tough position by the time they face their easiest-on-paper game against Ivory Coast.
FIFA Ranking: 82
Elo Ranking: 91
Odds of Winning: Slim Chance
One to Watch: Tahith Chong will need to create (and potentially score) a lot of attacking chances for Curaçao to have a chance.
Who will advance from Group E? What matches are most interesting to you? Let us know in the comments.
