This semi-final match in the FIFA World Cup 2014 is nothing less than a final as the best and most consistent teams throughout the tournament are all set to go into a battle. It is extremely interesting that both Germany and Brazil have played 24 semi-finals in the world cup so far, but this will be only their second meeting after the 2002 final.
The total encounters between the two giants have been 21, out of which Brazil has won 12 and Germany has won only 4 while the remaining 5 matches were drawn.
Germany has played 500 more successful passes than any other team in the tournament. Brazil is considered technically the soundest team. On the other hand, having won against a very strong team of France in the quarter finals, the confidence and morale of Germany would be sky high.
Brazil would be absolutely desperate to win at any cost. Regardless of their highly decorated trophy cabinets, all that matters for the host nation is to win the world cup at their own soil.
The players of Brazil made 31 fouls in their quarter-final match against Colombia and in particular against James Rodriguez, who happens to be the star player for Colombia. It is the highest number of fouls any team has committed in this world cup so far. It seems that Scolari’s men are over-enthused in their pursuit of a world cup victory at their homeland.
In addition, Bastian Schweinsteiger has also accused Brazil of “tackling beyond the limits”. He said “I’m all for a healthy hardness, but some of Brazil’s fouls were over the limit. Brazilians are not only football magicians, hard tackling is part of their game. We have to be careful and so does the referee.”
Furthermore, Brazil also committed 28 fouls against Chile in the previous round and Brazil’s golden boy Neymar insisted that he had no problem in winning ugly before playing Colombia. However the most ugly and highlighted sight of the tournament was when Neymar had a terrible knock at his back and was taken off the field with a broken vertebrae in the dying minutes of the match. Moreover, the captain and star defender Thiago Silva is also banned from the Semi Final clash.
Regarding his ban, Thiago Silva said, “The yellow card has taken me out of the semi-final, but I know whoever comes into my place is well equipped to fill my boots.” He further added “It was a silly thing. I was running back and he put the ball in front of me – there wasn’t really much else I could have done.”
Dante is likely to come in Silva’s place in central defense, as the Bayern Munich’s defender remains to be the most experienced option available on the Brazilian bench.
Predicted Line Ups:
Talking points:
Brazil:
The absence of Thiago Silva will hurt Brazil the most as they might become vulnerable in his absence. Dante as a replacement sounds convincing, but his lack of understanding with Cesar and Luiz may just cause a problem in a match as important as this.
The other most talked about point will definitely be the absence of Neymar, but Oscar and Willian have the capability of weaving some magic into the team and not let the absence of Neymar be felt to a lot of extent. Brazil as a team looked a bit rusty in comparison to Germany. However, the passion, desperation, especially after the injury of Neymar, this team of Brazil is certainly more than capable of doing wonders.
Germany:
The strength of Germany lies in the perfect teamwork, they have all the weapons to combine a perfect attack on the counter, while they have a top defense and arguably the best goalkeeper left in the tournament. As a team, Germany is extremely disciplined, consistent and skillful. With the likes of Özil, Kroos, Müller and their waterproof defense, it certainly can defeat any team in the world. It remains to be seen whether Gotze will get a start in this match or not, but nonetheless, he is the kind of player who can cause an effect in the match even if he comes on as a substitute.
Prediction:
Technically, there is no doubt that Germany looks to be a better team and has the most chances to prevail. However, the passion, obsession and commitment Brazil has got, especially after the injury of Neymar, they will certainly do anything to win this cup on their soil.
We predict Brazil to win this match in extra time with a 2-1 scoreline.