Group E: Team previews and breakdowns

Group E has two superpowers and a potential sleeper, this could very well be the most entertaining group to watch.

Spain and Germany are coming from disappointing performances 4 years ago and while they have shown promise after that - each team has its own issues that makes it difficult to see them as contenders to win it all.

SPAIN

Let's begin with Spain - since losing in the Round of 16 in Russia the team has been rejuvenated and appear to be on an upward trajectory.

The team has plenty of talent in the midfield including emerging FC Barcelona youngsters Pedri and Gavi, and plenty of quality on the wings but have a lack of options in other key positions.

Team's philosophy: Spain retains a similar style of play that saw them win the World Cup in 2010 which involved dominating possession and a lot of short passing to find gaps to exploit.

Something that has changes is that this team under Luis Enrique has also learned to be more direct and occasionally you'll see them with longer passes to catch the other team off-guard.

This is how they could line-up:

Since having a horrible World Cup in Russia, David De Gea has been left out in the Luis Enrique era along with Kepa Arrizabalaga. The starting goalkeeper will be Unai Simon of Athletic Bilbao. He was the starter for the previous Euro as well.

The back is where the team is most fragile, on the left Jordi Alba or Jose Gaya could start, the other three Aymeric Laporte, Pau Torres and Dani Carvajal should be locks.

In the middle the big question whether to start Sergio Busquets or Rodri. Luis ENrique like Busquets a bit more. Pedri will also start likely alongside Koke, maybe even Gavi for the opener against Costa Rica.

Up top Spain lately has opted for the winger duo of Pablo Sarabia and Ferran Torres, but Mikel Oyarzabal could be another good option. The projected stiker is once again Alvaro Morata, but don't be surprised if Luis Enrique decides to put Marco Asensio as a false 9.

Players to watch: Pedri has a big opportunity to take the next step and showcase his talent in the biggest tournament.

Weakness: The team has two key areas of need, at the back and in the striker position. Both center backs are disciplined and good on ste pieces but lack speed and could be a liability when defending in open space.

Options off the Bench: Mikkel Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo, Iñaki Williams and Gavi.

What to expect: Despite some of their shortcomings Spain should still be favored to win the group and likely whoever comes second from Group F, so the quarterfinals seem like a very realistic goal, but mistakes could easily push them to second and Belgium could be a very difficult matchup for them.

COSTA RICA

8 Years ago the shocked and delighted the world by winning their group which included the former champions in Italy, England and Uruguay and eventually reaching the quarterfinals.

However, the team struggled four years ago getting only a draw in three games.

Now the team is in the middle of a generational transition, OG's such as Brian Ruiz, Celso Borges, Keylor Navas and Joel Campbell are still the spine of the Ticos. While there are a few new faces emerging, the new generation has yet to take the baton.

Team's philosophy:

In the most recent run of games Costa Rica has been often playing with a 4-4-2. They like to be a well-positioned team that defend as a unit. While they will allow the opponent take the initiative - Costa Rica press up high against teams that like to play out of the back, they can look for chances in the counter, and are also capable of building up their chances. The speed of Joel Campbell up top and the precision from Borges and Ruiz are the best weapons the team has.

This is how they could lineup:

The defensive unit is lead by a lot of experience with Navas in goal and Oviedo, Calvo, Duarte all with previou World Cup experience. The experience continues in the middle. The new blood comes on the wings with Gerson Torres of Herediano playing on the right and Jewison Bennette of Sunderland on the opposite side with Joel Campbell playing as the number 9.

Players to watch: The success of the team will fall a lot on what Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell can to up front and in the back how long Keylor Navas can keep them in the game.

Weakness: The core of the team has progressively gotten older and while experience is important, the midfield lacks speed. Costa Rica will face well organized teams that are unlikely to make major mistakes for them to pounce on. It feels the team will rely on keeping games low-scoring and get their chances in counters or set pieces.

Bench options: Anthony Contreras, Anthony Hernandez, Ronald Matarrita and Daniel Chacon are some of the younger options that could help the team.

Expectations: Fans shouldn't expect them to advance. The ceiling is maybe stealing a win, but the most realistic approach is to be competitive in all three games even if they end up losing all of them - but definitely they are capable of ruining someone else's tournament.

GERMANY

For decades Germany has been one of the most consistent teams in decades, and out of nowhere they were upset and eliminated in the group stage in Russia 2018.

Now this is supposed to the opportunity to find redemption and return to the old winning days.

Team's Philosophy: Germany could be seen as a hybrid model between the styles of Spain and France.

With a 4-3-3 the team likes to have ball possession, but is a team that also takes advantage of space and opt for a fast build-up and long passes when there is an opportunity to exploit those opportunities.

The formation can also shift from a 4-3-3- to a 4-2-3-1 depending on who is playing in midfield.

The locks at starter are Manuel Neuer in goal, Antonio Rudiger as one of the center backs, Ilkay Gundogan and Joshua Kimmich as the central midfielders, Serge Gnabry and Kai Havertz.

One thing to watch is where Thomas Muller plays - In the past he's find success as the No. 9, and with the injury of Timo Werner, they may have to play him as a striker to open space behind him for Havertz.

Players to watch: Ilkay Gundogan's performances will go a long way in dictating how well the team does building-up chances for its attack, while Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane are two speedy wingers who are capable of scoring themselves.

Weakness: Wingbacks and Consistency. When it comes to positions Germany has talent across the board but there are some questions at left and right back, with David Raum and Lukas Klosterman as the best options. Perhaps, more concerning is the fact that the historic trait of playing at their best every single game is no longer there. This team can play against and beat anyone on any given day with the talent they have - the problem is that those players are not performing at their best that often.

Options off the bench: Whoever doesn't start from Thilo Kehrer or Niklas Sule. On the wing Julian Brandt is great option, in the central part of the midfield you can bring in Leon Goretzka, in the attack young prospect Jamal Musiala and up front another youngster Youssoufa Moukoko could be someone that could be helpful if Germany needs a boost of speed and quality up front.

Expectations: As I mentioned before, this team if they play at their best they can go all the way to the final, but considering their run of form they can still contend to win the group over Spain, but at the very least the team should advance and have a good chance of making it to the last 8.

JAPAN

If you're looking for a young and exciting underdog with tons of potential to root for - here is one of the options.

After a horrible tournament in 2014 - Japan bounced back in Russia beating Colombia, advancing to the second round and taking Belgium to the brink.

Team's philosophy: The Samurai Blue tend to play with a 4-2-3-1 setup, they are primarily a very tactically-disciplined team. They thrive in open space with their speedy wingers - they are comfortable with having ball possession and they also like to put pressure on the opposition's backline - so they have a wide range of options on how they can hurt you.

This is still a young team that will have its best days beyond this World Cup, but you can already see a nucleus of young talent gelling together and if anyone overlooks them they could find themselves in serious trouble.

Players to watch: At the back Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu is a key piece to its defense, while he plays more often as a right back at the club level, he is the main centerback for Japan and will likely will be accompanied by the two most experienced players in Yuto Nagatomo and Maya Yoshida. In the middle Wataru Endo is a solid fielder. The best talent will be the line of three behind the striker, with Takefusa Kubo on the left, either Takumi Minamino or Daichi Kamada as the No. 10 and Ritsu Doan on the right.

Weakness: The team is still young and don't have a lot of World Cup experience, when it comes to positions on the field the striker position and defense seem to be the weaker points of this team.

Options off the bench: Whoever doesn't start between Kamada and Minamono will be a great option. Kaoru Mitoma in the midfield and Takuma Asano on the wing are other good options.

Expectations: Japan comes as the third best team in the group behind powerhouses Spain and Germany, but they have the talent to ruin someone's party - their style makes them a bigger threat to Spain than Germany but regardless the Japanese will likely be in the hunt for the knockout stage all the way until the end.