HLV Nguyen Trong Giang: 'Spain wins easily, Netherlands faces difficulties'

The 2026 World Cup is growing more thrilling by the day, with powerhouse teams like Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain gearing up for their opening group games.

Germany will take on Curacao, while Spain faces Cape Verde in their opener. Meanwhile, the Netherlands will meet a real challenge in Japan, and Sweden will go up against Tunisia.

Assessing these matches, assistant coach of Hong Linh Ha Tinh FC, Nguyen Trong Giang, predicts easy victories for Germany and Spain: "Personally, I support Germany and Spain. These are world-class teams facing two lesser-known opponents who lack experience on the big stage.

Germany boasts players any team would dream of having in their squad, such as Leroy Sane, Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade, and Jamal Musiala. Therefore, it won't be too difficult for Germany to break through Curacao's defense. The only question is how they will perform in their first match.

As for Spain, even without Lamine Yamal due to injury, the squad still features many stars like Rodri, Dani Olmo, Nico Williams, Pedri, and Gavi. I think this will be an easy game for Spain. A margin of at least two goals will be established, or perhaps an even bigger scoreline."

Regarding the match between the Netherlands and Japan, the former Hanoi FC player leans toward a draw: "Japan has always been known as a disciplined team with a very tight defensive organization. Their players move constantly, and their style of play is programmed with precision, like a machine.

Facing a strong European opponent with powerful attacking force, Japan has even more reason to stick to their counter-attacking defensive style. In their last five matches, Japan has won every game using this approach.

They play a calculated game and know how to frustrate their opponents. In fact, during their preparation for the tournament, Japan was so meticulous that they only played friendlies against U19 and U20 teams to rehearse and finalize their tactics.

As for the Netherlands, I personally think coach Ronald Koeman has anticipated the opponent's difficulties. The Netherlands will also play cautiously rather than launching an all-out attack from the start."

In the remaining two matches, assistant coach Trong Giang puts his faith in Ivory Coast and Sweden: "Ivory Coast and Ecuador are fairly evenly matched. However, I lean slightly toward Ivory Coast.

The African representative has always been highly regarded for their physical strength and ability to create surprises at the world's biggest football festival. Ecuador will certainly have chances to score, but they will need to make the most of every opportunity.

As for Sweden, their World Cup ticket feels like a well-deserved reward after the grueling European qualifiers. This team has many quality players, and their victory over Tunisia would come as no surprise."