3rd Place Play off - Uruguay vs Germany - Preview

Uruguay
v
Germany




18:30 GMT, July 10, 2010
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Often billed as the game that nobody cares about, the World Cup final third place play-off has some interesting storylines this year. While both sides will rue the performances that saw them dumped out of the spotlight, there is still a lot to play for as Germany take on surprise package Uruguay in Port Elizabeth.

Uruguay certainly want to end their wonderful tournament on a high as fans back in Montevideo celebrated their progression to the semi-finals (and ultimate defeat) to Netherlands as if they had got their hands on the trophy.

There will certainly be no shortage of desire on their part when the whistle blows, while strikers Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez still have something to prove on the world stage. Forlan is still in the running for the Golden Boot with his four goals currently one short of David Villa and Wesley Sneijder; while Suarez will be making his first appearance since his flagrant handball earned him a red card, one-game suspension and the condemnation of Africa for cruelly helping to knock out Ghana.

Meanwhile, Germany's Miroslav Klose (14) is chasing not only the Golden Boot, but also a chance to overtake Brazil legend Ronaldo (15) as the World Cup's greatest ever goalscorer if he can overcome a back injury. The Germans may not like their success in this game, but they have picked up three 3rd placed awards already - in 1934, 1970 and 2006 - with Bastian Schweinsteiger's brace making them 'reigning champions' in that respect.

Competition Stats

	Uruguay	Germany
Goals	Diego Forlán 4	Miroslav Klose 4
Assists		Thomas Müller 3
Yellows	Jorge Fucile 2	Thomas Müller 2
Reds	Luis Suárez 1	Miroslav Klose 1

Germany player to watch: Miroslav Klose. Germany are likely to rest a few of their big names, but Klose is certain to be chewing the ear off coach Joachim Low in a bid to start the game and break the World Cup scoring record - he needs to prove his fitness first though. Having been ready to join West Ham before the tournament, his goalscoring form has alerted the rest of Europe that he is not quite past his best just yet and another good performance will not only etch his name in history, but will likely guarantee his short-term future in club football as well.

Uruguay player to watch: Luis Suarez. Rather proud of his 'Hand of God' mark II, Suarez has been placed under increased security in South Africa as angry fans have made no secret of their desire to seek retribution for the handball that denied Ghana a last-gasp winner in their quarter-final. Arguably the most in-form attacker in world football, Suarez can do a lot to bolster his reputation if he fires and Uruguay will benefit from the pace and vision that he brings up front.

Key battle: Sami Khedira v Diego Forlan. Khedira has been one of the stars of the tournament thus far, showing confidence beyond his tender years in central midfield. That Germany have looked a better side without Michael Ballack is largely down to the Stuttgart midfielder, but he will have his work cut out with marking Forlan. The striker is playing behind a front two for his country at this World Cup and, in his new playmaking role, has flourished. Excellent control of the ball, tireless running and a propensity to score goals from outside the box make him a dangerous opponent and he will be fired up to ensure Uruguay go out with a bang.

Trivia: No World Cup third place play-off has ever ended in a draw. South American sides have met European teams in six third-place play-offs so far, with both continents picking up three wins. It's evenly matched.

Stats: Uruguay are without a win in their last 14 World Cup matches against European sides, a run that started with a 1-0 defeat to Germany in the third place play-off in 1970. And with 13 goals, Germany are the highest-scoring team at this World Cup so far.

Odds: Germany (5.00), Uruguay (3.60) and the draw (1.72) are available with Bet 365 but Miroslav Klose to score two or more goals - thus becoming the World Cup's greatest ever goalscorer - comes in at 8.00.

Prediction: Germany may not take the game as seriously as the Uruguayans and few neutrals would be sad to see the underdogs walk away with the win. Desire may play an important role and Uruguay can end their tournament on a high.

2nd Semi Final - Germany vs Spain - PREVIEW

Germany
v
Spain




6:30 PM GMT, July 7, 2010
Durban Stadium, Durban, South Africa

The average age of the Germany team that started against Argentina in the quarter-finals of the World Cup was only 25 and this says it all. For a team as young as Germany, indeed it is an achievement in itself to have reached as far as the semi-finals of the World Cup outside of Europe.

Moreover, among the four remaining teams in South Africa, Germany have been by far the most impressive side and have also had the most difficult path to the semis. The group stage was relatively easy but England in the last 16 were a tough proposition and so were Argentina in the quarters. However, Die Mannschaft blew away both Fabio Capello's and Diego Armando Maradona's sides, scoring four against each of them. In fact, Germany have scored four goals in three different games in the World Cup so far - they started their campaign with a 4-0 hammering of Australia.

Germany manager Joachim Low described his side's 4-0 annihilation of Argentina in the quarter-finals as a "performance of champions" and in doing so made a statement of intent. His youthful German side are not just at these finals to gain valuable experience but to lift the trophy.

Their defeat of Argentina was the third time in five games that Germany scored four goals in a match - defeating Australia 4-0 in their opening group game and England 4-1 in the second round - and Die Mannschaft go into this match as the team in form. Low's side have developed a quick-flowing, counter-attacking style that has proved too hot to handle for more than one opponent.

The Germans have brought a breath of fresh air to a tournament that has often been bogged down with defensive tactics and their attacking intent will pose a whole new set of problems for a Spanish side that is used to facing massed defences and looks vulnerable at the back.

Spain came into the World Cup finals as one of the two outright favourites but so far they haven't really been on top of their game. Granted, since their opening game defeat to Switzerland, La Furia Roja have won every single match with striker David Villa emerging as one of the best three players of the competition, but Spain haven't really been very convincing.

Goals haven't come with ease and the midfield too has been bullied by defensive sides. Striker Fernando Torres has been woefully out of form and the defence has looked vulnerable on occasions. However, so far Spain have had to confront sides who would park the bus in front of their goal and against them Vicente del Bosque's side have struggled.


While Germany were romping to a famous victory over Diego Maradona's previously unbeaten Argentina, the below par Spaniards fought out a 1-0 victory over Paraguay following a similarly attritional 1-0 win against Portugal in the second round. It's fair to say the Vicente Del Bosque's side are yet to hit the form that enabled them to win Euro 2008, coincidentally with a 1-0 win over Germany in Vienna, and the sorry sight of an out-of-sorts Fernando Torres is emblematic of that.

The subdued Liverpool striker has started the last four games for Spain since recovering from injury, but has been hauled off around the 60-minute mark in every match after failing to make an impact. It can be no coincidence that his exit against Paraguay coincided with an improvement for Spain and it would be no surprise if Del Bosque opted to start Fernando Llorente or Pedro instead.

It may be late in the day to start making unforced changes but something needs to be done or Spain, who will be playing in their first ever World Cup semi final, face the prospect of being swept aside by a German side high on confidence and talent. But Low must make a significant change of his own with man-of-the-moment Thomas Muller, who jointly leads Germany in both goals and assists, suspended. The Bayern Munich starlet will be a big miss.

Germany               Spain
Argentina 0-4 Germany	Paraguay 0-1 Spain
Germany 4-1 England	Spain 1-0 Portugal
Ghana 0-1 Germany	Chile 1-2 Spain
Germany 0-1 Serbia	Spain 2-0 Honduras
Germany 4-0 Australia	Spain 0-1 Switzerland

Competition Stats

	Germany	Spain
Goals	Miroslav Klose 4	David Villa 5
Assists	Thomas Müller 3	David Villa 1
Yellows	Thomas Müller 2	Gerard Piqué 1
Reds	Miroslav Klose 1

Germany player to watch: Bastian Schweinsteiger - Argentina singled out German midfielder Mesut Ozil for special treatment in their quarter-final clash and so Schweinsteiger assumed the role of creator-in-chief with devastating effect. The Bayern Munich star provided the assists for Germany's first and third goals and was imperious in midfield throughout the match. With Muller missing against Spain Schweinsteiger will again have to deliver a top notch box-to-box performance.

Spain player to watch: David Villa - It may be an obvious selection but Barcelona's new €40 million signing has carried Spain this far and all eyes will be on him as he attempts to do so once again. Villa has scored five of Spain's seven goals in South Africa and is well on the way to winning the Golden Boot. Already recognised as one of Europe's most fearsome strikers he is now making a substantial impact on the world stage.

Key battle: Miroslav Klose v Gerard Pique: Germany striker Klose has mustered more goals in this World Cup than he managed in the entire Bundesliga season and in doing so stands on the brink of making history. The often derided Bayern Munich forward has already overtaken Pele in the World Cup's all-time goalscoring charts with 14, and just one more will see him tied for first place with Ronaldo. Hoping to stop Klose will be Barcelona centre-back Pique, who had torrid time against Paraguay and resorted to hauling down opponent Oscar Cardozo. Fortunately Cardozo failed to score from the resulting penalty.

Trivia: The last encounter between these two nations was in the Euro 2008 final. Spain won 1-0 thanks to a Fernando Torres strike.

Stats: All 14 of Miroslav Klose's World Cup goals have come in open play and been scored from inside the box. Half of them have been headers.

Odds: Germany (2.80), Spain (2.62) and the draw (3.20) are all on offer at Bet365. But a 2-1 win for Germany will get you 11.00.

Prediction: These two sides both love to attack but while Spain have been stuttering, Germany have hit their stride and that could be the crucial difference.

My prediction      Germany 0-1 Spain