Of course, Daichi Kamada is not a prophet.

But when jokingly looking into the future, the Japanese revealed quite visionary abilities.

"We joke around sometimes," said Eintracht's offensive strategist before the first group game at the World Cup in Qatar, the duel of the "Blue Samurai" against Germany.

In anticipation of the ultimately victorious duel with his Frankfurt colleagues Kevin Trapp and Mario Götze, Kamada said: "Teams that are eliminated in the preliminary round of the World Cup then have more free time.

That's why we often say: It's great that you'll be on vacation soon."

Ralph Weitbrecht

sports editor.

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Trapp and Götze are on vacation.

Since the embarrassing end after the third group game, the goalkeeper and the driver can relax.

Oliver Glasner gave them the last working week of this year with the remaining Eintracht colleagues.

The Frankfurt coach quickly decided that the duo no longer needed to come to work at the club.

"Both played an outstanding season," said Glasner after the penultimate test of the year.

On Friday, his team had an easy game against their favorite opponent SV Sandhausen, who are always asked for such purposes.

The 5:1 against the bottom of the table in the second division was a sure thing for Eintracht, which is in the final sprint of a highly successful football year.

After a free weekend, the pros will be in the practice area at the Frankfurt Arena a few more times in the coming days before the really last test match in 2022 next Friday evening at Atalanta Bergamo will finally shut down.

Kamada hopes to still be ready for the desert by then.

Jakic still without a task

This Monday (4:00 p.m. CET in the FAZ live ticker for the soccer World Cup, on ZDF and on Magenta TV), the offensive player, who has been so successful so far, will play his fourth game in Qatar.

It's a knockout game.

Hop or top against Croatia.

Against the team that finished second in the World Cup in Russia four years ago and where Kamada's Eintracht Frankfurt colleague Kristijan Jakic is hoping that he might still play.

So far, the 25-year-old clearer has watched the goings-on of his comrades from the sidelines in front of the defensive line.

National coach Zlatko Dalic has refrained from assigning the robust Eintracht fighter with tasks at the World Cup.

Japan and Croatia have only met twice at a World Cup.

In France in 1998 the men from the Far East lost 1-0, in 2006 in Germany there was a zero number.

Japan goes into the round of 16 with the recommendation of having previously won 2-1 against Germany and Spain.

Both times, Kamada didn't make the big impact he has in the Eintracht outfit.

Seven goals and four assists make him the most successful attacker in the Bundesliga core business.

Three more goals in the Champions League and two in the DFB Cup underline: Kamada is in the form of his life.

The Japanese is among the top 10 in the Bundesliga's list of goalscorers and scorers. He's never been that good.

His contract in Frankfurt expires at the end of June 2023.

It is also thanks to Kamada that Eintracht played such a splendid football year in 2022, crowned by winning the Europa League in Seville.