Germany boss Hansi Flick has said that his side will have to be aware of the quality of Spain's midfield during Sunday evening's clash at the 2022 World Cup.

DFB-Team lost their tournament opener against Japan on Wednesday, which has put huge pressure on the four-time world champions to pick up a positive result against Spain in their second match in Group E.

La Roja will enter the contest off the back of a 7-0 win over Costa Rica, with Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio, Gavi, Carlos Soler, Alvaro Morata and Ferran Torres (two) on the scoresheet.

Flick has paid tribute to the Spain midfield ahead of the clash between the two European nations.

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"The quality that Gavi and Pedri have at such a young age is fantastic. They have developed very well at Barcelona in the last two years and now they have found a place in the national team," Flick told reporters.

"They have Busquets behind them as protection. That works well.

"Unfortunately, my favourite player Thiago [Alcantara] is not there but you can tell how good they are with Busquets being the heart of their team. We are really looking forward to the match."

Gavi, Busquets and Pedri has been Barcelona's first-choice midfield three for much of the campaign, while they also started Spain's tournament opener against Costa Rica.

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Flick was also keen to pay tribute to Spain boss Luis Enrique when he spoke during his pre-match press conference.

"I admire Luis Enrique very much. He has put together a young team with incredible quality," the Germany head coach told reporters.

A win for Spain on Sunday night would see them qualify for the knockout round of the competition with a game to spare if Costa Rica fail to win against Japan in the earlier game in the section.

Meanwhile, if Germany lose, they would not be able to advance to the round of 16 if Costa Rica do not beat Japan.

Spain recorded a 6-0 victory when the two sides last locked horns in the UEFA Nations League last November, with Germany's last win over La Roja proving to be a 1-0 success in a friendly back in November 2014.

Written by
Matt Law