Germany vs. Ivory Coast preview: Team news and predicted lineups | OneFootball

It's first against second in the World Cup's Group E on Saturday night as Germany and Ivory Coast lock horns at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada at 22:00 CEST.

After dismantling minnows Curaçao 7-1 in their opener, Julian Nagelsmann's side now face a sterner test against an Ivory Coast team coming off a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Ecuador.

One of the players Germany will need to keep a close eye on is RB Leipzig star and 2025/26 Bundesliga Rookie of the Season Yan Diomande, who caused Ecuador plenty of problems.

“A year ago, hardly anyone knew him. He's had an outstanding season, even though RB Leipzig had a few problems,” Germany captain Joshua Kimmich said at a press conference on Tuesday.

“His dribbling is exceptional, a bit like Kingsley Coman at Bayern back in the day. He's got incredible pace. But there are other good players we have to prepare for. They have spectacular attacking players,” he added.

The two sides were originally scheduled to meet in a pre-tournament friendly, but the fixture was cancelled after they were drawn in the same World Cup group.

They have met only once before, playing out a 2-2 draw in 2009, when Lukas Podolski scored a late equaliser for Germany.

Team news and predicted lineups:

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann is unlikely to make many changes after his side's emphatic opening victory, with the only conceivable alteration being introducing Deniz Undav in place of Leroy Sané.

Sané was among Germany's less impressive performers against Curaçao, while Undav made a strong impact off the bench, scoring once and providing two assists. Should Nagelsmann opt for that change, Undav would likely lead the line, with Kai Havertz dropping into a deeper role.

Undav now has three goals and two assists in his last three appearances for Germany, but despite the Stuttgart forward's strong form, Sané still appears more likely to start.

As for Ivory Coast, Evan Ndicka remains a doubt due to the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the opener against Ecuador.

Meanwhile, Amad Diallo could be handed a starting berth after replacing Bazoumana Touré early in the second half and scoring the winner in Ivory Coast's opening match.

Click here to see our predicted Germany vs. Ivory Coast lineups.