World Cup 2018 Standings: Predicting Saturday's Scores, Results, Updated Table
Saturday will give Germany the chance to bounce back at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia following defeat in their opening match, as they meet Sweden in a crunch encounter.
Few were expecting the world champions to be quite so disappointing in their first match of the tournament, which they lost 1-0 to Mexico. Sweden, meanwhile, showed they'll be tough opponents in Group F with a win over South Korea.
Many are excited to see Mexico again, and they take on South Korea knowing a win would put them within touching distance of the second round. Belgium's match with Tunisia in Group G gets the day's play going, as they seek to chalk up their second win in succession at the competition.
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Here are the fixtures for Saturday in full, a prediction for each and a look at how things are shaping up in this trio of key matches.
Saturday Fixtures
3 p.m. local time/1 p.m. BST/8 p.m. ET - (Group G) Belgium vs. Tunisia (2-0)
6 p.m. local time/4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET - (Group F) Mexico vs. South Korea (2-0)
9 p.m. local time/7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET - (Group F) Germany vs. Sweden (1-0)
Here are the respective standings ahead of Saturday's encounters:
Germany Under Pressure
One of most shocking results of the tournament so far saw Joachim Low's Germany side—the defending champions who were well-fancied to repeat the trick again—fall to Mexico.
While Germany did apply some late pressure as their opponents tired, there was never really any sense of the team building momentum. The mechanical attacking play that they've become associated with in recent years in terms of smart movement and quick interchanges was scarce.
As noted by Neil Atkinson of The Anfield Wrap, Germany were also uncharacteristically ponderous when Mexico were on the break:
With that in mind, it's going to be intriguing to see if Low keeps faith with the players he has depended on previously or opts to draft in some fresh faces for the second game.
You don't imagine they'll have many of the same issues against Sweden in terms of being turned around a lot, as the Scandinavians are a little one-paced in their forward forays.
What they are is defensively robust. The Swedes have a tremendous sense of spirit and have shown in recent months that when they are focused on keeping an opponent out they can do a fine job.
Mexico may be the team the majority are looking forward to watching again, though, as they were thrilling at times against Germany. On the break, through goalscorer Hirving Lozano, Javier Hernandez and Carlos Vela, they were electric and well supported by the energetic midfield pair of Andres Guardado and Hector Herrera.
Fox Sports' Keith Costigan challenged them to go on and beat Germany to top spot in the group:
As noted by sports statistician Paul Carr, there is a scenario where Germany could be eliminated on Saturday, with Mexico and Sweden going through:
Of course, Mexico do still have to get the better of South Korea. The latter were disappointing in their first game as they showcased little ambition against Sweden; they need to find a way of getting star man Heung-Min Son more involved.
The first fixture sees Belgium, who were handsome winners in their first game against Panama, try to put Tunisia to the sword.
A brace from Romelu Lukaku saw Roberto Martinez's side to a comfortable 3-0 victory in their first game, with their attacking talent clicking into gear eventually in the second period. Tunisia, despite a late loss to England, have shown they have the traits to frustrate talented opponents.
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