Rudi Völler: Our performance against Paraguay will be completely different from Ecuador; we're not thinking about France

Germany's national team sporting director, Rudi Völler, addressed the media after it was confirmed that the DFB-Team would face Paraguay in the Round of 16. The legendary former striker also reflected on the disappointing 2-1 loss to Ecuador.

“I am completely calm and relaxed; the team will give their all on Monday. Against Ecuador, the circumstances were different. For them, it was the most important match in 20 or 30 years. We always want to win, but it's perfectly normal to be missing a few percentage points if we've already qualified. Monday will be completely different. It's about whether we advance or go home. We will give everything, push ourselves to the absolute limit, play a really good game, and qualify for the next round.”

When asked about the performances of Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, who haven't been at their best so far, Völler responded: “We know that if we want to achieve our biggest goals, these players need to perform at a high level. They know it themselves. And in that regard, I am completely optimistic. They don't have much further to go to reach peak form. Overall, we have a team that, on its best days and when playing at its full potential, can beat any team in the world.”

Regarding a potential Round of 16 clash against France, the German legend was concise: “Generally speaking, France is, of course, among the biggest favorites. But right now, we're not even thinking about that. On Monday, we play against Paraguay, and we want to advance to the next stage; that is our goal.”