Ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Sports Mole predicts how Group E will pan out, with Germany and Spain drawn together alongside Japan and Costa Rica.

Two of the last three winners of the competition have been drawn alongside each other in Group E at the 2022 World Cup, with European heavyweights Germany and Spain facing off.

While they will be firm favourites to claim the top two spots, their underperformance in Russia four years ago may hand hope to Japan and Costa Rica that they can spring a shock once again.

Here, the Sports Mole team set out how they expect Group E to pan out in Qatar.

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1. GERMANY

Germany's form has not been ideal heading to Qatar, but a number of players in Flick's 26-man squad have been in fine form at club level in recent weeks and should they collectively find the right formula early doors, they could do enough to finish above Spain in Group E.

Securing top spot could result in a last-16 clash with 2018 finalists Croatia, an encounter Die Mannschaft would be expected to win, but a quarter-final showdown with tournament favourites Brazil may be a step too far for Flick's men.

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2. SPAIN

We are expecting Spain to finish second to Germany in Group E, which might see them face Belgium in the last-16 stage of the competition.

La Roja could navigate their way past a talented Belgium before potentially beating Portugal in the quarter-finals, but their tournament might be ended by the reigning champions France in the final four.

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3. JAPAN

Japan have shown very encouraging form in the last couple of years, but given the tough nature of their group, the Samurai Blue will need to go above and beyond to cause a huge upset if they want to make it out of the group phase.

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4. COSTA RICA

Costa Rica deserve a ton of credit for their turnaround in the qualification campaign, however as experienced as they are, it would be hard to see them pull off a Cinderella run like we saw in 2014.

Most of the players chosen for the World Cup ply their trade in Central American leagues, where the competition is not nearly as fierce as what the Germans, Spanish and Japanese experience on a weekly basis.

An ageing team might need to depend on Navas to put together some virtuoso performances to have any hope of advancing.

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