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Germany blitzed Curacao in their opening game and I think their quality shines through again here, even if it is to a lesser extent given the serious quality that exists in this Ivory Coast side.

The African nation left it late against Ecuador in their opener, striking in the final minute through Amad Diallo to collect all three points. I think they’ve got enough attacking talent to find the back of the net here, against a Germany side that aren't rock solid at the back and will take plenty of risks.

Jamal Musiala found the back of the net in the opener (who didn’t) and also scored in one of Germany’s warm-up matches. I think he’s a lot more dangerous in front of goal when playing for his country compared to Bayern Munich and has netted 10 goals across 43 caps which is a decent record for an attacking midfielder. 

Musiala scored three goals across five starts at the last European Championship too, so he’s clearly quite suited to international football.

Germany were always heavy favourites against Curacao in their opening World Cup fixture, but they put in a statement 7-1 victory.

The Germans got off to a quick start, and despite being pegged back to 1-1, they were able to pick Curacao apart in the second period. Germany looked fluid in the final third, and their front four seemed to be operating on a similar wavelength.

However, Germany did concede, and that will give Ivory Coast a boost heading into this fixture. The African side also started with a win, but that game was much more entertaining than the scoreline suggests - Ecuador struck the crossbar twice.

This is a clash between two strong attacking units, and goals look very good market to target.

Ivory Coast are not short of talented wingers, but it was a surprise to see Amad Diallo benched against Ecuador in round one.

He still made his mark when introduced in the second period - as he scored the only goal of the game, while having another shot which forced a save from the Ecuador goalkeeper. 

Based on that performance, Diallo should be rewarded with a starting spot in the eleven against Germany. The Manchester United winger was one of Ivory Coast's top performers throughout AFCON, finishing with three goals from his five appearances.

He had an average of 4.33 shots per 90 throughout the competition, which was the highest of any player in the squad.

The new VAR rules on corners have perhaps made unders more of a target, given how corners can no longer be awarded when they were incorrectly given as goal-kicks but can be overturned. However, that has worked to inflate prices on the overs. 

This is a clash between two potent attacking forces, and there should be chances available at both ends of the pitch. There were eight corners awarded in Ivory Coast's opening game against Ecuador, with three corners for and five conceded.

Ivory Coast had an average of 7.2 corners per game across their five AFCON matches, recording at least five in every single game, which shows how effective they can be at getting to the byline.

Seko Fofana had a tough opening fixture against Ecuador, and it would not be a surprise to see Ibrahim Sangare introduced to the Ivory Coast midfield against Germany, starting alongside his captain. Like Fofana, Kessie also found his way into the referee's notebook against Ecuador, racking up three fouls.

He was kept busy in midfield areas throughout that game, and that should remain the same against Germany. Julian Nagelsmann looked pleased with Jamal Musiala's performance against Curacao - the 23-year-old has had his fair share of injury problems over the last year, but he popped up with a goal before being substituted after 64 minutes.

Musiala looked back to his best, sharp on the dribble and always looking to beat his marker, so Kessie should have plenty of defensive work to get through.

Wilfried Singo has been adept at drawing contact throughout the season, and he has an average of 1.87 fouls drawn per 90 for Galatasaray this campaign. He tends to go down easily under contact, which allows his side to establish themselves on the ball. 

Singo was fouled just once against Ecuador, but he draws a much more favourable matchup here against a German side that like to press intensely in an attempt to win the ball back high up the field. 

They racked up 18 fouls against Curacao last time out, and Havertz in particular is averaging 1.52 fouls per 90 for Arsenal this season across all competitions - he should be directly up against Singo.

It took 48 minutes for Havertz to open his goalscoring account at the World Cup, as he converted a penalty won by Nmecha.

The Arsenal striker has returned to fitness at just the right time, and he looked back to his best against Curacao - Havertz doubled his tally in the 88th minute, scoring the seventh goal for his side by cleverly dinking over the goalkeeper when played through one-on-one.

Havertz finished his domestic campaign with Arsenal in imperious style, even scoring in the Champions League final against PSG. He recorded a goal and an assist against the USA before his brace against Curacao last time out.

Felix Nmecha was one of the standout performers for Germany against Curacao, as he opened the scoring after just six minutes with an impressive finish.

Even though Ivory Coast are likely to be much tighter defensively than Curacao were, it was impressive to see just how often Nmecha looked to push forward and create overloads in the box, sometimes being the furthest player forward. 

He had four shots, of which three hit the target, before being replaced after 73 minutes. Nmecha has made five appearances for Germany since the World Cup qualifiers, and he has landed this selection in all of those, averaging 2.84 shots per 90.

Nathaniel Brown managed a goal and an assist for Germany in round one, despite being the right back - he spent a significant amount of time in the opposing half looking to get on the end of passes in the final third.

Brown did still register two fouls, though, and he looks set for a considerably tougher job out wide against Ivory Coast. Piero Hincapie is considered one of the best defenders in one-on-one situations, but Yan Diomande had his number on several occasions in round one against Ecuador.

The 19-year-old has a serious burst of pace that makes him incredibly hard to contain, and it would not be a surprise to see Brown resort to a cynical foul to stop him.

In that same period, Jonathan Tah is averaging 1.31 fouls per 90 and has landed this selection in each of his last three starts for his national side.

That includes two fouls against Curacao last time out despite the dominant victory, and Tah was also substituted after 73 minutes to afford him a rest. 

The centre back also recorded two infringements against the USA and Finland, respectively, in the June friendlies prior to the World Cup. Tah is incredibly strong in his duels, and he likes to stick tight to the opposing striker regardless of the matchup.

Ivory Coast's attack should cause him considerably more trouble than Curacao did, which makes this price stand out.

Belgium were disappointing in their opening game against Egypt, but I’d give quite a bit of credit to the Pharaohs, who surprised me and made life difficult for Belgium with Salah and Marmoush playing through the middle and offering a consistent threat in transition.

Egypt managed to successfully contain Jeremy Doku, which was a large reason for their success, but I’m not sure Iran will be as effective at stopping the Manchester City winger. Iran do have some notable players in their squad, but their tournament has been significantly disrupted by off-the-field issues; they’re having to travel in and out of the US on the day they play, which is far from ideal and will show in their on-field performance.

Charles De Ketelaere was pretty poor in the opener against Egypt, so I expect Romelu Lukaku to come into the starting lineup after making an impact from the bench to earn Belgium a point against Egypt. He offers a target in the box and has a pretty exceptional record for his country with 90 goals across 127 caps.

Spain were a bit flat in their opener against Cape Verde but that performance alone doesn’t change my opinion of this Spanish side. They were without their two key threats in Williams and Yamal; it’s no exaggeration to suggest that Spain need these two to play in the way Luis de la Fuente wants as without them, Spain lack cutting edge against sides that will sit deep.

Saudi Arabia held Uruguay in their opener but didn’t pose much of a threat to suggest they’ll cause Spain problems. They only had 33% of the ball against Bielsa’s side and generated an xG of 0.66 from seven shots. I think they’ll be outclassed and I’d be very surprised if they manage to get on the scoresheet. Spain generated an xG of 2.10 in their opener; if it wasn’t for an inspired performance by the Cape Verde goalkeeper, they would have won comfortably.

Yamal has to start now, he didn’t quite get enough time to impact the game when he came on against Cape Verde but he’s easily Spain’s biggest attacking threat and you could see every Spain player actively look to find him when he entered the field last time out. Yamal has scored six goals across 26 caps for Spain and scored 24 goals for Barcelona during the 25/26 campaign.

Despite Germany cruising to a dominant 7-1 win against Curacao, Jonathan Tah still managed to commit two fouls and he was fortunate to avoid a booking in the end.

He dragged down Jurgen Locadia at one point, but the referee was incredibly lenient given the non-competitive nature of the match. Tah maintained his aggressive defensive approach, looking to stay tight to the opposing striker and win the ball back quickly, and he should persist with that style again here.

However, this matchup against Ivory Coast promises to be a lot tougher. Elye Wahi and Nicolas Pepe are considerably more technical than anything Curacao offered, and the pace of Ivory Coast's forward line makes a cynical foul committed by Tah much more likely, if he finds himself caught out of position. The 30-year-old was carded ten times for Bayern Munich this season across all competitions, showing how he is no stranger to the referee's notebook.

Tunisia were dealt a damning 5-1 defeat by Sweden in their World Cup opener, putting them in a precarious position heading into this fixture against Japan.

They cannot afford to lose here, so there is enormous pressure on them to bounce back - they will have to be bold and front-footed from the off. Hannibal was one of the brighter sparks against Sweden, providing the assist for Tunisia's only goal of the game, but he is just as important for his side as a combative presence in midfield. 

Hannibal never seems to be far away from a booking, whether it be from losing his head or flying into a reckless challenge. The 23-year-old picked up 10 yellow cards in the Premier League this season across just 27 appearances for Burnley, despite only starting 15 of those. He had an average of 1.77 fouls per 90 across all competitions this campaign.

Japan put in an impressive performance against the Netherlands in their opening fixture, and the 89th-minute equaliser from Daichi Kamada was fully deserved.

They remained compact in central areas and were able to restrict the Netherlands to only a handful of shooting opportunities, and goalkeeper Zion Suzuki was effective whenever he was called into action. Even without Wataru Endo and Kaoru Mitoma, Japan have a strong and well-organised side who work well together, and it would not be a surprise to see them make it far at this World Cup. 

By contrast, Tunisia were dealt a humbling 5-1 defeat by Sweden last time out, making multiple costly individual errors that led directly to goals. They were all over the place defensively, which Japan will be able to exploit.

Tunisia will have to raise their intensity significantly in this round two fixture against Japan, knowing that a defeat will all but certainly confirm their elimination from the tournament at the bottom of Group F.

They should look to be far more aggressive in their approach, which makes cards a target. Japan only drew seven fouls from the Netherlands last time out, but three of those were worthy of a booking, which shows how they can be a difficult side to contain when they move the ball quickly.

Meanwhile, Tunisia have picked up at least two bookings in four of their last six matches across all competitions.

Despite being listed as a wingback on paper, Keito Nakamura accounted for three of Japan's ten shots against the Dutch, and he opened the scoring for his side at the World Cup.

He was constantly looking to make things happen in the final third, often arriving late in the box to create overloads for his teammates. Even in settled possession, Nakamura would frequently find himself on the edge of the box, looking to cut inside from the left onto his stronger right foot to get his shots away. 

Nakamura scored 14 goals from 29 appearances for Reims in the French second division this season, and he will hope to cause real problems for Tunisia here.

Hannibal Mejbri provided the assist for Tunisia's only goal against Sweden last time out before recording one shot of his own, which was a speculative effort from a free-kick that flew well over the bar.

The 23-year-old is instrumental for Tunisia in the final third and is already one of the more experienced players in the squad despite his age. Even domestically for Burnley, Hannibal averaged 1.39 shots per 90 in the Premier League this season, with 68% of his efforts coming from outside the box.

He isn’t shy about popping shots off from range, which bodes well here with Tunisia desperate to keep their World Cup hopes alive.

Ali Abdi looks like a prime candidate to find his way into the referee's notebook here, having committed three fouls against Sweden last time out that went unpunished by the referee.

The fullback can often be reckless in his challenges, and he was shown three yellow cards and one red card from 22 appearances in Ligue 1 for Nice this season.

Following Takefusa Kubo's injury against the Netherlands last time out, Ritsu Doan is likely to be pushed forward into a more advanced role on the wing, putting him directly up against Abdi.

Doan averaged 1.44 fouls drawn per 90 for Frankfurt this season, making this a matchup to keep an eye on.