The Estadio Mineirao will see out an exciting semi-final this afternoon as hosts Brazil take on the fearsome Germany. Brazil are without their talismanic captain Thiago Silva due to his picking up a ban, however this afternoon will see the return of Luis Gustavo as he returns from suspension.
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Neymar is also set to miss out today as he struggles with injury, which may force the Selecao to play a midfield of three or alternatively choose an attacking alternative such as Willian. Die Mannschaft are fully fit, with the only tactical choice for Joachim Loew being whether or not to recall Per Mertesacker to duty after being left out against France for what Loew was quoted as saying was for “tactical reasons only”.
Without Silva and Neymar, the hosts look like they have it all to do against Germany this evening, and will definitely need to dig deep to see this task through. The Germans will come armed to the teeth and will be attacking from the off while the Selecao should expect to have next to no time on the ball. Neymar’s tournament is finished, after a nightmare tackle from Zuniga broke a bone in his back, a tackle which could also have been career threatening, and without him to continue carrying them, the Selecao will look to Luiz Felipe Scolari for an answer. Ex-Brazilian attacking midfielder Zico said of Zuniga’s challenge: “The BRazil players have a chance to draw energy from Neymar’s sacrifice. They should leave their souls on the pitch as a tribute for this kid.” Brazil are playing in the semi-final of the World Cup for the first time since 2002, and having taken five champion’s crowns in the tournament history, they will believe that the prize is once again within touching distance.
Scolari will need to call on all of his tactical nous however to defeat the wily Joachim Loew, who does have a full squad at his fingertips. The German media believe that Loew already has one hand on the Jules Rimet, with the hosts being seen as the hardest of the remaining games. Loew is no stranger to pressure, having been present at several World Cups already, including tournaments where Germany have been at the precipice and ultimately failed. He said of the tournament so far: “I think for all Germans the desire is the same – we desperately want to play in the Maracana in Rio again. We’re not done yet.” Both teams have form against each other, with the stats showing evidence of a totally even match up. Both teams have beaten each other 3-2 once, and have drawn once in a friendly in 2004. Brazil have a strong goal scoring habit against the Germans in all tournaments however, with the hosts averaging two goals per game against Die Mannschaft.
The German squad however, will not be phased by such statistics, believing as always that their destiny is firmly within their own hands. This is a massive task however, as they step into the hosts’ back yard with the weight of a nation resting upon their shoulders for the eighth time.