Gary Lineker dismissed by Germany star Kai Havertz after presenter called his team 'weak'

Gary Lineker's criticism of Germany have been dismissed by Kai Havertz after the presenter said his team is "one of the weakest I've ever seen" ahead of the nation's Round of 32 clash against Paraguay.

Havertz, who plays his football in north London with Arsenal, has featured for Germany throughout the group stages.

Germany hammered Curacao in their opening World Cup game 7-1 but since then, they have not reached the standards expected of them.

They only managed a 2-1 victory against Ivory Coast, before losing to Ecuador in their final group game 2-1.

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Lineker, who is covering the tournament for his show on Netflix, criticised the German performances.

In an interview with French outlet L'Equipe, Lineker said: "I think this is one of the weakest Germany sides I have ever seen.

"Germany are living off their past. Just remember that they didn't even make it out of the group stage at the last two World Cups."

Should Germany find a way past Paraguay, they will likely face France in the round of 16, with the favourites for the World Cup playing Sweden in their own round of 32 match.

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Discussing the possibilities of that tie, Lineker said: "France should reach the quarter-finals without any trouble. So I think you can all sleep easy."

Havertz was asked about the comments, dismissing them entirely.

The former Chelsea forward said: "Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I didn't even notice it myself.

"Of course, during a tournament like this, a lot of people start talking about you.

"But I don't think anyone in the squad pays much attention to it.

"We already have plenty of experts in our own country - if people in other countries start as well, then at some point enough is enough.

"It's always easy to criticise us from the outside. But it honestly doesn't interest me at all."

Germany head into their contest against Paraguay as hot favourites, with the South American side advancing through the third-place route.

Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann expressed confidence ahead of the round of 32 clash, reiterating that his goal is to win the tournament.

He said: "It is always about winning when talking about the national team, trying to win every game.

"How you deal with expectations is just self-confidence; give the players a good plan, so they feel comfortable and do the right things on the pitch.

"If you win, everything is perfect; if you lose, everything is s***, so we have to win."

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