, June 14 -- timers Curacao are aiming for a major upset when they face four-time champions Germany in their opening Group E match on Sunday, with head coach Dick Advocaat insisting his side is ready to challenge one of football's giants.

The Caribbean team, largely made up of players of Curacao heritage born in the Netherlands, arrives at the tournament determined to prove it belongs on football's biggest stage.

Veteran coach Advocaat, 78, will make history on Sunday as the oldest manager ever to appear at a World Cup. He is also set to become the first coach to lead three different national teams at the tournament, having previously guided the Netherlands and South Korea.

Despite being grouped with Germany, Ecuador and Cote d'Ivoire,...