A wonderful World Cup 2014 will be brought to a close today with a fascinating matchup between two extremely different sides as Germany, or as they are also known – Die Mannschaft – travel to the Maracana to take on Lionel Messi and Argentina. Much has been made of Germany’s team spirit during this tournament, and rightly so, with Die Mannschaft displaying a togetherness that showed the world what a football team is truly all about. The Argentines have been almost the opposite, with the magic, courage and commitment of the current best player in the world – Lionel Messi – being cited as the main reason they are even there.
Special Offer: BET LIVE on Germany vs Argentina + have a $200 FREE BET on us!
Messi has shown the world what he is all about, popping up at vital moments to score what have turned out to be tournament-defining goals on behalf of a tired looking Argentina. Team news and Mats Hummels is expected to return for Die Mannschaft after missing the second half of the game against Brazil with suspected tendonitis. Angel Di Maria is moving around and training again after picking up a thigh injury, but he is unlikely to start for the Argentines. Sergio Aguero has now returned for selection after recovering from a similar niggle, and could be set to take the place of either Lavezzi or Higuain. Higuain, Messi and Aguero did combine effectively for the Argentines earlier in the tournament, however Alejandro Sabella may opt to field a more defensive lineup with Die Mannschaft currently in swashbuckling form, however such a lineup may have to exclude Left Back Marcos Rojo of Sporting Portugal due to a knock on the ankle sustained in training.
Germany are currently in fine goalscoring form having with Thomas Muller singlehandedly banging in five.That’s not to say however, that the rest of Joachim Loew’s men have been lackadaisical in their approach, with every single member putting in a shift and a half in every game, giving it everything they have without reproach or hesitation; which in itself has resulted in a fine collection of goals, with seven of the squad also contributing to Germany’s impressive tally. The much spoken-about Argentine “fantastic four” of Messi, Higuain, Di Maria and Lavezzi have failed to find their feet so far in the tournament as a unit, and will need to be at their explosive best if they are to cope with the uncontrollable Kroos, Klose, Ozil and Schurrle, with each one of these players more than capable of running the show this evening. On paper, the Argentines should hold an advantage, given that they boast some of the most revered names in current world football player rankings, chief among these obviously being one Lionel Messi. There are other gems on display here too with Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain and Ezequiel Lavezzi to name but three. The Germans are unfazed by such names though as they go marching on, Kroos, Schurrle, Osil and co. seemingly wreaking havoc wherever they go. Argentina will need to do more than simply give the ball to Messi tonight as a ruthless Germany look to take their fourth World Championship.
Special Offer: $250 Germany vs Argentina FREE BET at Sportsbet – 3 Available
Probable Lineups
Argentina (4-3-3): Romero, Rojo, Garay, Demichelis, Zabaleta; Mascherano, Gago, Rodriguez; Lavezzi, Higuain, Messi
Germany (4-3-3): Neuer; Boateng, Howedes, Hummels, Lahm; Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Kroos; Ozil, Muller, Gotze
PREDICTION
The Germans will have taken a lot of confidence from the Brazil result and I expect them to defeat an Argentina team that has only gotten this far because of the genius of Lionel Messi.
TIP: Brazil 1 – 2 Netherlands at $11 with Bet365 + get a $200 FREE BET on the match
