Jerman Hadapi Pantai Gading di Laga Kedua Grup E Piala Dunia 2026

Tim nasional Jerman bersiap menghadapi Pantai Gading dalam pertandingan kedua Grup E Piala Dunia FIFA 2026 di Toronto pada Sabtu, 20 Juni 2026. Laga ini mempertemukan skuad Jerman yang baru saja menang besar melawan Curacao dengan Pantai Gading yang mengalahkan Ekuador.

Pelatih Jerman, Julian Nagelsmann, tidak mengubah susunan pemain starternya setelah kemenangan telak 7-1 atas Curacao. Kai Havertz kembali memimpin lini serang dengan dukungan dari Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane, dan Florian Wirtz, sementara Deniz Undav tetap berada di bangku cadangan.

Di kubu lawan, pelatih Pantai Gading, Emerse Fae, melakukan lima perubahan pada susunan pemainnya. Pemain sayap Manchester United, Amad Diallo, diturunkan sejak awal setelah mencetak gol kemenangan pada menit ke-90 saat melawan Ekuador.

"German friends, let's proceed with caution," kata Jon Eimer, pengamat sepak bola SportsLine.

Eimer menilai euforia kemenangan besar Jerman harus disikapi dengan bijak karena tantangan berikutnya akan berbeda.

"I know everyone's excited after watching Germany put seven goals in a single match, but we need to stay level-headed when betting on this. Scoring seven goals against Curacao doesn't translate into blowing out either of the other teams in this group," kata Jon Eimer.

Ia juga menambahkan bahwa performa solid Pantai Gading pada laga perdana membuktikan bahwa mereka adalah lawan yang tangguh.

"I love, love, love, LOVE this Côte d'Ivoire team. I watched every second of their victory over Ecuador with bated breath. This is a team that won 1-0 as underdogs, and frankly, could have put in two or three goals if they were a bit more clinical in the end. Beating Germany might be too much to ask, but they're going to give them hell, and I expect this to be close," kata Jon Eimer.

Sementara itu, pakar sepak bola lainnya menyoroti bagaimana Jerman memanfaatkan kelemahan Curacao pada pertandingan sebelumnya.

"Germany brutally exposed Curacao's limitations by thrashing the Caribbean nation 7-1 last weekend," kata Martin Green, pakar sepak bola SportsLine.

Green memprediksi Ekuador akan bangkit pada pertandingan selanjutnya setelah kekalahan tipis dari Pantai Gading.

"The winning margin could easily have been higher, as the Germans created chances at will. Curaçao is the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup – and it showed. Ecuador will be disappointed to lose 1-0 to Ivory Coast on Matchday 1, as they were the better team and hit the woodwork a couple of times, but they should bounce back with a comfortable win against this weak Curaçao team," kata Martin Green.

Selain perkembangan Piala Dunia, sorotan olahraga akhir pekan ini juga tertuju pada ajang UFC Fight Night.

"Although Horiguchi is one of the savviest mixed martial artists in the sport, I think the speed and athleticism of Kape will catch up to him, now that Kape is a much more refined fighter," kata Daniel Vithlani, pakar UFC SportsLine.

Pertarungan tersebut diprediksi akan berlangsung sengit di area tanding yang lebih kecil.

"This fight will take place in the small cage at the UFC Apex, which gives Kape more opportunities to track down Horiguchi's tricky footwork. Horiguchi also broke his hand in his last fight, and Kape has a granite chin. Kape's speed and power advantage should help him get his revenge by knockout and become the next flyweight title challenger," kata Daniel Vithlani.