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Germany face Brazil in the semi-finals of the 2014 World cup in a repeat of the 2002 final where Brazil emerged victorious by 2-0. The Selecao produced arguably their best performance in the World Cup by beating Colombia 2-1 to enter the semi-finals. On the other hand, Germany produced a dominating performance against France to qualify for their fourth consecutive semi-final.
This is a dream clash between two of the greatest powerhouses in world football with Brazil trying to win the World Cup at home and Germany trying to capture their first title since 1990. The buildup to the match has of course been dominated by the unfortunate vertebrae fracture to Brazilian superstar Neymar and the suspension of their influential captain Thiago Silva –two players who would be very hard to replace. Germany, meanwhile would try to break their semi-final jinx and go all the way in this tournament.
Venue
Estadio Mineiro, Belo Horizonte is one of the most historic venues in Brazil and is home to Atletico Mineiro and Cruzeiro, both former national champions. The stadium has a capacity of 58,170 and underwent a complete overhaul prior to hosting the five matches in the World Cup so far. The circular roof makes it one of the most complete and intriguing stadiums in Brazil. The host team has already played in this stadium against Chile in the Round of 16 which they went on to win in the penalty shootout while Die Mannschaft will be making their first appearance in this ground where the temperatures don’t reach to a level that trouble teams.
Kickoff
July 8th – 05:00 pm – Local Time (Brazil)
July 9th – 01.30 am – Indian Standard Time (IST)
Possible Starting Lineups
Luiz Felipe Scolari will have to pick a team for the semi-final without two of his important players – Silva and Neymar. They should ideally be replaced by Dante and Willian respectively, players who might not bring the same aura as their predecessors but can get the job done on their day. Scolari might resort to the same tactics that were employed against Colombia which would be to be physical, attack quickly and stifle the German’s attacking philosophy. Fred has been absolutely dismal in this World cup but whether he will start remains the big question.
Brazil (4-2-3-1): Cesar; Maicon, David Luiz, Dante, Marcelo; Luis Gustavo, Fernandinho; Oscar, Willian, Hulk; Fred
Die Mannschaft have neither injuries nor any suspensions to worry about going into the all important semi-final clash against the Selecao. The Germans were dominant and efficient against France on Friday; a match where Joachim Loew paired Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira in central midfield and pushed Philipp Lahm back into his traditional right back role. He also switched to a formation that enabled Miroslav Klose to feature as a lone striker which gave Deutschland control over possession and the game itself. Loew is more than likely to keep the same lineup against Brazil too.
Germany (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Lahm, Hummels, Boateng, Howedes; Khedira, Schweinsteiger; Ozil, Kroos, Muller; Klose
Key Facts
- The teams have played each other 21 times, with Brazil winning 12, Germany four, and five draws. In all those games, Brazil has scored 39 goals while Germany scored 24.
- This is the only second time that the two teams will meet in a World Cup, the last match was the 2002 final which Brazil won 2-0.
- Germany and Brazil are the joint third highest tournament scorers, with 10 goal each.
- Germany has scored eight goals from open play and two from set-pieces. Brazil has scored seven from open play and three from set-pieces.
- Thomas Mueller and Neymar are joint second in the tournament top scorers' chart, on four goals each along with Argentina's Lionel Messi.
- Philipp Lahm is the best passer of the tournament, with 408 passes completed with a success rate of 86.6 percent.
Key Battles
Dante vs Miroslav Klose
One of the biggest and the most important battles in this match would see the central defender Dante trying to shoulder the responsibility of keeping the perennial goal poacher Klose quiet throughout the evening. One of the best strikers to have graced world football, Klose would be looking to get that elusive 16th goal that would get him on the record books as the all time highest scorer in World Cup finals. His intelligent movement and his knack of scoring important goals would be something that the Brazilian defense would be wary of.
Dante is a strong and athletic defender who excels in one-on-one tussles and is also adept at reading play and stepping forward to intercept. Plying his trade in Bundesliga would also help him rely a lot on his knowledge of German football. He is also strong in the air which would help in addressing the aerial threat that Klose poses in open play or dead ball situations. However, Dante struggles against movement and switching of the front players – an area which Die Mannschaft would be looking to exploit.
Oscar vs Bastain Schweinsteiger
Having been shunted to the right side of the midfield throughout this World Cup to allow Neymar to operate from the centre, Oscar would be looking to switching back to his favored central role against Germany. After a stellar performance on the opening day against Croatia, Oscar has had a relatively quiet tournament since then and he would be looking to turn it all around in the semi-final.
Schweinsteiger has come back strongly from his injury and he looks to be back to his devastating best in the centre of the midfield. With Khedira given license to roam forward to support attacks, the defensive duties in the midfield would fall to Schweinsteiger who had an impressive outing against the French side. Strong in the midfield, ability to pick a pass, control possession and shielding the defence are some of his strengths which should be on show against the Selecao. However, Oscar would be looking to spoil his and Die Mannschaft’s plan of reaching the final.
Prediction
The Selecao might face their biggest test yet in Germany and the job would be twice as much harder without the presence of Neymar and Silva. Their form hasn’t been great and they have just been able to nudge past teams. Against Germany, they would be facing a team that is clinical in front of goal and a team that can beat them into submission.
Die Mannschaft may not have been at their marauding best since their opening match thrashing of Portugal. However, they have found a way of being victorious. Even against France, they didn’t look at their fluent best yet they dominated possession and found a way to win; a trait that is usually associated with a German side. And they are up against a team playing at home and in front of their own supporters.
Predicted Scoreline: Brazil 1 – 3 Germany
Match Officials
Referee: Marco Rodriguez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Marvin Torrentera (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcos Quintero (MEX)
Fourth Official: Mark Geiger (USA)
