Brazil v Germany
Bo’s Best Bets Brazil v Germany – draw 11/5 Germany to win in extra time 10/1 60 games played and just 4 to go (including the ever so pointless 3rd place play/off) and in less than a week’s time the World Cup will have reached its conclusion and a new or perhaps more likely an old name will be back on the trophy, to be fought over in Rio this coming Sunday thus bringing to an end what has been a spectacular and beautiful competition packed full of emotion, drama and an overwhelming sense of occasion that will not be matched in the next 2 tournaments in Russia and Qatar and perhaps never again. But before all that, and before Bo starts to cry, the semi-finals will take place over the next 2 days and splitting them is as complicated as it would be if they were 4 frozen burgers that have been lying in your freezer for the past decade desperately waiting for a stomach to fill. Of course if you know Bo, such an occurrence is highly unlikely. First up tonight, we have the hosts Brazil taking on Germany in the beautiful Belo Horizonte and tomorrow evening Argentina and Holland will battle it out for the right to line up in Rio on Sunday and what we have in store for us promises to be tense, tight and ultimately dramatic but whether goals are a plenty remains to be seen as the history would suggest we are in for some low-scoring encounters with 5 of the last 6 semi finals producing only 4 goals in regulation play. Brazil minus Neymar and Thiago Silva have it all to do but perhaps just a little of the expectation has been taken away from them following the loss of their star forward, and their captain for tonight’s match but this is a Brazil side that cannot be written off given their imperious home record (unbeaten in 12 years) and the fact they will have such fervent support behind them gives them every chance to reach the final for the first time since 2002. As for the Germans, well, they were my backup selection for the tournament but they have flattered to deceive at times and were rather fortunate to get past Algeria in the round of 16 and have certainly missed the creativity of Marco Reus in attack although Thomas Muller continues to be a star performer at big tournaments with 4 goals to his name so far. Beaten in the last 2 World Cup’s at the semi-final stage, the Germans have the opportunity to make it third time lucky this although the scale of their task in having to win in Brazil against the hosts is enormous. It is worth looking back to 2006 when the Germans were hosts at the semi-final stage and were beaten 2.0 in a classic encounter with Italy after extra time and it is perhaps possible that such a recreation is on the cards. I am desperate to see the Brazilians make it to the final, for financial and emotional reasons but with the loss of Neymar and Silva, I have a sad little feeling that it will be the German supporters celebrating long into the night. The loss of their talisman Neymar would not be so serious if they actually had another world class attacker but with Freddie Flintstone and the less than incredible Hulk in attack, Brazil look seriously weakened and if they are to have a chance then the selection of coach Scolari will be vital. Bernard, Willian or Ramires are the3 in contention to replace Neymar and if Scolari is brave he will pick Bernard or if he prefers the pragmatic route then Ramires is the more likely to start. I think we could see something very similar to the semi-final in 2006 and as such, my main bet for tonight is the draw at 11/5 but I can see the Germans taking it in extra time. Germany to win in extra time is a generous 10/1. No matter what the outcome is tonight, all we can hope for is that this tournament gets a final surge of excitement to truly enforce the opinion that this is one of if not the best World Cup’s in the modern era and tonight’s match is a vital part in sealing the legacy and memory of what has been a super competition. It truly breaks my heart to see the end of this tournament, a World Cup I had looked forward to for the best part of 7 years and as I mentioned earlier, with the next tournaments heading to the footballing hotbeds of Russia and Qatar, it is fair to say, that for me, this is the end of the World Cup. Forever. That may sound like hyperbole and yes I am sure I will be watching again in 4 years when the circus comes to Russia but the fact remains that FIFA is a truly despicable organisation that has tainted our beautiful game in recent years with corruption, bribery, humans rights issues and a shocking disregard for the people who make the game possible, the fans... and with that little fart of a man Sep Blatter standing for re-election, the corruption and tragedy looks set to continue unabated for another 4 years at least. But that is all for another day; today is about the glory of the greatest sporting competition coming to its climax and I for one cannot wait to see what the next games have in store for us. Come on Brazil!!! Comments are closed.
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