7.7.2014 – The World Cup Finals in Brazil has now reached the business end of the tournament as the Semi-Finals are now upon us, four nations all hope to progress through to the World Cup Final, here is a preview of the two matches.
Brazil vs Germany on Tuesday, July 8th at 9:00pm
Brazil will play Germany in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday knowing that they are only two games away from winning their fifth World Cup, but they face another tough game against a brilliant and efficient Germany team. The pressure seems like it is all on Brazil as they have a whole nation expectant and hoping their players can finish the job to create history in the Final.
However they have been dealt two blows for the Semi-Final as Captain Thiago Silva is suspended due to accumulating too many yellow cards, and perhaps the biggest hindrance could be the absence of their main star player Neymar who was injured in the win over Colombia and will now miss the rest of the tournament.
Brazil has understandably reacted with huge disappointment regarding the injury to the Barcelona forward and it has possibly made the nation more nervous going into the last four encounter, as there are questions over who will now produce the magic that Neymar has provided so far, if it is needed against the Germans.
Meanwhile Germany have not yet reported any new injuries after their win over France so will be confident of knocking the hosts out despite their underdog tag, one huge plus point for the Germans in the Quarter Final win was their defence looked significantly better than in their previous game against Algeria, which may make them a tough nut to crack for the Brazilians.
In attack the Germans have quality players such as Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller, Mario Gotze and Andre Schurrle amongst others, whilst the hosts can include fantastic individuals such as Hulk, David Luiz, Ramires, Fred and Willian to make this Semi-Final a mouth watering prospect.
Argentina vs Netherlands on Wednesday, July 9th at 9:00pm
Argentina play the Netherlands in the other Semi-Final a day later in Sao Paulo, and this will also be an intriguing contest as Argentina and their wizard Lionel Messi will be up against Louis Van Gaal’s Dutch side. Messi was not on target against Belgium last Saturday but has been in fantastic form in the tournament previous to that so is still a huge threat to Holland.
The South Americans looked comfortable against Belgium and were solid enough to defend the goal scored by Gonzalo Higuain to the finish and book their place in the last four, the Netherlands meanwhile had to endure penalties against Costa Rica but this was enthralling as the Dutch Coach Louis Van Gaal substituted his first choice starting goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen with Newcastle United’s Tim Krul for the penalty shootout in an inspired change, as he saved two spot kicks to ensure the Dutch progressed through to meet Argentina.
Both sides have masses of top quality players with the South Americans boasting Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Rodrigo Palacio as well as the already mentioned Gonzalo Higuain and Lionel Messi. The Dutch meanwhile have been in great form in this tournament as they dismantled holders Spain 5-1 despite being a goal behind, and have also secured wins over Chile, Australia, and Mexico in dramatic fashion. The Netherlands can call upon Arjen Robben, Dirk Kuyt, Wesley Sneijder and Robin Van Persie to replicate the same anticipation as the first Semi-Final, as this too could be a classic.
Tickets are sure to be in short supply for these fantastic games as World Cup Semi-Finals are historic occasions that only come round every four years, so get your ticket soon to avoid disappointment.
