2014 FIFA World Cup Predictions, Schedule, Preview: Brazil vs. Germany in Pivotal Semifinals Match
The semifinals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup are officially here, with just four nations competing for soccer's greatest championship.
On the one side fans will get to watch the Netherlands take on Argentina in a rematch of the '78 championship, but before that we get another rematch of a past finals.
Brazil and Germany will play each other in a replay of the 2002 World Cup Finals. Brazil won that game 2-0 over Germany, in Japan. Will history repeat itself, or will Germany return to the finals of the most prestigious soccer tournament in the world?
Latin Post.com breaks down the teams and predicts a winner in this must-watch semifinal game:
Brazil
They've been here before.
Making it to the semifinals and being one of the four remaining teams is considered an unbelievable achievement for most countries. But for Brazil, the expectations run higher: It's championship or bust. This is their fourth semifinals appearance in the last six World Cups. Not only would winning a sixth World Cup title be fantastic, but prohibiting Germany from winning a fourth would be almost as satisfying.
The loss of Neymar Santos is a brutal one, especially considering he's the leading scorer of this year's squad. But it is what it is, and others will just have to step up. A lot of the pressure will fall on the shoulders of 27-year-old David Luiz. With Neymar and Silva both out, time of possession is going to be the key for this team. Goalkeeper Julio Cesar has been playing great in the knockout rounds so far for Brazil.
Germany
Germany hasn't won a World Cup title since 1990, when they defeated Argentina.
German fans vividly remember their nation's defeat to Brazil in 2002, and a win here would be sweeet revenge for them. With Spain failing to even qualify for the knockout stage, Germany is the highest ranked team remaining. Germany is trying to become the first ever European team to win a World Cup in South America.
This team is loaded in the middle field with Thomas Mueller leading the way. Mueller now has a team-leading four goals for the tournament and nine in his World Cup career. Miroslav Klose needs just one goal to become FIFA's all-time goal scorer with 16 to break a tie with the great Ronaldo. Manuel Neuer has been great in net for Germany allowing just one goal so far in his last three games, which came in extra time against Algeria.
Prediction
It wouldn't be surprising if this game went to extras, may even a shootout. Brazilian head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari will make the proper adjustments for Brazil to overcome the odds and control the ball. Brazil wins 2-1.
Where and when to watch
Brazil and Germany will face each other on Tuesday at 4 p.m. EST on ESPN. The game will be played at the Estádio Mineirão arena in Belo Horizonte in front of almost 60,000 fans.
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