Brazil and Germany are two of the most successful countries in World Cup history, with Brazil claiming five and the Germans with three. Both were considered favorites coming into the tournament and it should be no surprise that they’re meeting in the semifinals, but the hosts are going in shorthanded and they will need the game of their lives to break down the efficient Germans on Tuesday.
World Cup Odds: Germany +175, Brazil +180, Draw +205
Odds To Advance: Brazil -108, Germany -117
Why Brazil Can Win
Brazil has a team spirit about them, and they get a major lift from their rabid fans, which they will need on Tuesday with the losses of Neymar and captain Thiago Silva, who scored in a 2-1 win over Colombia. They also have reliable players to step in for those two as Oscar will have to be the playmaker in Neymar’s role, while the midfield could be bolstered by the return of Luiz Gustavo, giving Brazil more steel in the middle of the pitch against a loaded German midfield. In defense, Dante should replace Silva beside David Luiz (who also scored in the quarterfinals) and he plays at Bayern Munich, so he knows many of the Germans very well.
However, Neymar was one of the stars of the tournament before suffering a broken vertebrae and Silva was a major factor in Brazil’s ability and willingness to press forward. They will be missed on Tuesday.
Why Germany Can Win
If Germany’s defense plays like they did in a 1-0 win over France, there aren’t many teams in the world that can beat them. We know they can score goals and they have arguably the best and deepest midfield in the World Cup, but the defense has taken some hits and they were brilliant against the French, whose attack had been tearing up the opposition in Brazil. Mats Hummels even added his second goal of the tournament for the Germans, who had captain Philipp Lahm back in his original position of right back, where he is arguably the best in the world. The defense obviously benefitted from this and they were allowed to play the trio of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira in midfield.
Thomas Muller has been very quiet since his hat trick against Portugal and even though Germany has Miroslav Klose, they need Muller to be a goal-scoring threat, especially with Silva out on the other side. Brazil can be breached and Muller has to find space to make his chances.
Outlook
Brazil has won five and drawn two of their nine meetings with Germany, but the big one was the 2-0 win in the 2002 final to give Brazil their fifth World Cup and even though Klose is the only player who was even on that team (and he was only 23), the players will be reminded of that and the chance to do it in Brazil is even better. It will be a sad day in the country on Tuesday as Germany rolls to the final.
Pick: Germany
