Germany ready to make up for 2018 heartbreak in Qatar

Germany are desperate to erase the memory of their disastrous 2018 World Cup when they begin their campaign in Qatar against Japan on Wednesday, captain Joshua Kimmich said.

The four-time world champions were humiliated four years ago in Russia, exiting in the group stage for the first time in their illustrious history.

Germany will look to take out their frustration on Japan in their Group E opener and Kimmich said their motivation on the eve of the game was "huge".

"We know that what happened four-and-a-half years ago was terrible, so we had quite a wait," said the Bayern Munich man.

"The first game is extremely important. We lost our first game at the last Euros and we didn't win the tournament, so I hope tomorrow we will win."

Germany will be without Leroy Sane against Japan after the winger was ruled out on Tuesday with a knee injury.

Manager Hansi Flick said Sane could return for Germany's second game against Spain on Sunday, but in the meantime he may turn to Thomas Mueller to fill the gap.

Mueller has been hampered by injury in recent months but Flick said the veteran was "definitely an option" against Japan.

"Today in training he did his job very well, we were happy with him," said Flick.

"So yes, we have one option more, thanks to Thomas Mueller."

Kimmich warned of the threat posed by Japan, who have eight players based in the Bundesliga, including Eintracht Frankfurt dangerman Daichi Kamada.

Kimmich said Kamada was "a smart player with a lot of intelligence" but he cautioned that other Japanese players can also cause Germany problems.

"Many of Japan's players play in the Bundesliga and almost all of them are very agile, very fast, and are strong players," he said.

"They have great technique so we have to be careful."

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