France and Germany have cooled off considerably from the hot starts they enjoyed to start the tournament, and neither had the easy ride to the quarterfinal many expected against their African opposition.
The French were given a stern test by Nigeria, while the Germans were surprisingly held to extra time against Algeria. The competition won’t get any easier in this stage of the tournament, as the two giants of European football collide for a place in the semifinal.
Brazil vs. Colombia is another intracontinental matchup that promises some very good attacking football. Find our preview of that game here, and read on for more on this exciting all-European quarterfinal tie.
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France vs. Germany, World Cup 2014, Quarterfinal Betting Preview and Prediction
France couldn’t have begun this year’s tournament any better. They played some very positive attacking football in their first two matches against Honduras and Switzerland, which resulted in eight goals and two very comfortable wins.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Their last two matches, however, haven’t been as impressive. An understrength French team couldn’t break down Ecuador in their final group match, but even a full-strength starting 11 also had trouble doing the same against the resolute Nigerians in the Round of 16.
Les Bleus eventually broke through thanks to their powerhouse midfielder, Paul Pogba, who scored the deciding goal in their 2-0 France win over Nigeria. The young Frenchman will be a handful physically against a German midfield built more on finesse than brute strength. His ability to make bursting runs in support of the offense should also put added pressure on a German defense that has looked vulnerable at times.
Manager Didier Deschamps made a slight tactical error against Nigeria when he inserted Olivier Giroud up front and pushed leading scorer Karim Benzema (three goals) out wide. The unorthodox formation didn’t work as both players had very underwhelming games.
Expect Deschamps to learn from his mistake against Germany and put Antoine Griezmann back in the starting lineup. France flourished once Griezmann, a natural wide player, came on in place of Giroud against Nigeria. Germany’s makeshift right fullback, Jerome Boateng, will have his hands full with both Griezmann and Patrice Evra charging down France’s left wing.
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, France has had Germany’s number in international football. The French have won four of their last six meetings dating back to 1996.
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Betting on Germany
Ever since Germany’s 4-0 thrashing of Portugal in their first group match, the Germans’ performances in this World Cup have become less and less convincing with each passing game. The highly-touted contenders needed to come from behind to draw 2-2 against Ghana, and could only defeat the U.S.A. by just a single goal despite dominating virtually the entire game.
The Germans’ chances of reaching a fourth straight World Cup semifinal looked even more uncertain after requiring extra time to defeat Algeria in the Round of 16. Their defense allowed the Algerians some terrific scoring opportunities, and their attack couldn’t convert the 22 shots they had during 90 minutes into a single goal.
But don’t be too quick to write off Germany just yet. In case the forward trio of Thomas Muller (four goals in four games), Mario Gotze and Mesut Ozil fail to deliver, which was the case against Algeria, manager Joachim Low can still bring on the likes of Andre Schurrle, who scored the winning goal in extra time.
His other options off the bench – Lukas Podolski (47 goals in 116 caps, third most in German history) and the World Cup’s co-leading goalscorer of all-time, Miroslav Klose – aren’t half bad, either.
Defender Mats Hummels missed the match against Algeria due to a fever, but he should be able to recover in time for the quarterfinal clash with France. His return will help stabilize a defense that looked very shaky against Algeria after it was reorganized to make up for his absence.
Also expect Low to account for France’s strong midfield by inserting Sami Khedira into the starting lineup. Bastian Schweinsteiger has started for the past two games, but don’t be surprised if Low turns to the more physical and energetic Khedira to match up better with France’s powerful midfielders.
Writer’s Prediction
Despite their recent struggles, take Germany (+123) to come good against the French. The German midfield has enough to holds its own against Pogba and co., while Thomas Muller comes up with another important goal.
