World Cup 2018 Standings: Predicting Sunday's Scores and Results

Germany begin their defence of the FIFA World Cup on Sunday, when they take on Group F opponents Mexico.

The pair will go head-to-head between clashes from Group E, with Costa Rica playing Serbia before Brazil face off against Switzerland.

Standings

Groups A, B, C and D have already been in action. Below is how things stand after the first round of matches.

Group A (Team, games played, goal difference, points)

1. Russia, 1, +5, 3

2. Uruguay, 1, +1, 3

3. Egypt, 1, -1, 0

4. Saudi Arabia, 1, -5, 0

Group B

1. Iran, 1, +1, 3

2. Portugal, 1, 0, 1

3. Spain, 1, 0, 1

4. Morocco, 1, -1, 0

Group C

1. France, 1, +1, 3

2. Denmark, 1, +1, 3

3. Australia, 1, -1, 0

4. Peru, 1, -1, 0

Group D

1. Croatia, 1, +2, 3

2. Iceland, 1, 0, 1

3. Argentina, 1, 0, 1

4. Nigeria, 1, -2, 0

For the complete standings, visit FIFA.com.

Sunday's Schedule

1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET Costa Rica vs. Serbia (Group E): ITV, Fox (0-1)

4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET Germany vs. Mexico (Group F): BBC, FS1 (2-0)

7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. Brazil vs. Switzerland (Group E): ITV, FS1 (4-1)

Costa Rica vs. Serbia

Costa Rica were the surprise packages of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

They not only defied the odds to top a group containing Italy, Uruguay and England, but they then made it as far as the quarter-finals, holding the Netherlands to a 0-0 draw before losing via penalties.

Given what they achieved last time out and their victories over the U.S. in qualifying, they shouldn't be underestimated by a Serbia side that has emerged as one to watch in Russia.

Per Scouted Football, there's a lot of young talent in the side:

The name on everyone's lips is Sergej Milinkovic-Savic after he racked up 14 goals and nine assists in all competitions for Lazio from midfield last season. Aleksandar Mitrovic, meanwhile, has netted 17 goals for club and country in 2018 and recently scored a hat-trick in Serbia's 5-1 win over Bolivia.

Mitrovic should have some good service at the World Cup, per OptaJoe:

There is plenty of quality in Serbia's side, but they need to be able to work as a cohesive unit on the pitch if they are to go far.

They might be able to see off Costa Rica to get their World Cup off to a strong start, but it could be a close contest.

Germany vs. Mexico

Germany have a multitude of talent available, and few teams in Russia can match their strength in depth. Aside from 2010 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner Thomas Muller, the responsibility of scoring their goals will largely fall to RB Leipzig's Timo Werner.

The 22-year-old has bagged 21 goals in each of his past two domestic seasons, while on the international stage, he is already beginning to show his worth to Germany:

The explosive striker should have plenty to feed off with the likes of Mesut Ozil and Marco Reus alongside him, and he could be the breakout star of the tournament.

Mexico aren't the easiest side they could have kicked off against, though, and El Tri manager Juan Carlos Osorio is as meticulous as they come.

He told ESPN FC's Tom Marshall:

"I will tell you: If there is one emotion that I want to feel on June 17 when that game [against Germany] comes, it is that I am calm, because there are so many things ... the last-minute things. The coach, the starting lineups, how they are going to play.

"We're going to put a team that can play a Plan A and Plan B. Who is going to run after them? There is so much preparation."

ESPN's Janusz Michallik believes Osorio will be thoroughly prepared for the clash:

He will no doubt have seen the Germans lose 2-1 to Austria prior to the tournament and sneak past Saudi Arabia—who were dismantled 5-0 by Russia in the opening match of this World Cup—by the same scoreline.

El Tri will still be up against it when they take on one of the tournament favourites, though, and you can expect Germany to get down to business once their campaign is under way.