Previews & Predictions: Argentina vs. Germany

As if the prospect of watching Argentina play Germany tomorrow for a spot in the semifinals wasn’t exhilarating enough, Bastian Schweinsteiger added a little more drama to the clash by claiming that the Argentines were disrespectful and tried to influence referees. Not one to avoid a war of words, Carlos Tevez hit back by insinuating that the Mexicans were better than the Germans. Could anyone ask for anything else before these two titans meet?


Germany should head into the game tomorrow with a lot of confidence. Except for their minor slip against Serbia, the Germans have dominated their opponents, scoring nine goals and only conceding two – three if you count Lampard’s disallowed strike. The German defense looks solid even though Arne Friedrich has had to adapt to life as a center-back, and their midfield looks lively, with Oezil providing some imaginative football in front of the more defensive minded duo of Schweinsteiger and Khedira. Up front, the Klose - Podolski tandem has done what it was incapable of doing two years ago at Bayern Munich: score goals. The two forwards have accounted for four of the team’s nine goals, and with the addition of rising star, Thomas Muller, it doesn’t look like Die Mannshaft will be lacking firepower against the South Americans.


The Argentines should also be optimistic of reaching the semifinals. Like Germany, Argentina also benefitted from less than stellar refereeing, when Tevez’ header was allowed to stand, even though the Manchester City forward was clearly in an offside position. Under Maradona’s guidance, the Albiceleste has produced some of the tournament’s most pleasing football. Although Messi hasn’t scored, he has been instrumental to the team’s offense, and one only suspects that his goals will come against the Germans. Tevez and Higuain have been doing their fair share of scoring, and the Argentine midfield has made sure that there are enough scoring chances to go around. Expect the same against the Germans. Perhaps, a little more was expected from Benfica’s Di Maria, but the he, like Messi, is probably about to explode. The only question mark concerns the team’s defense. Demichelis has looked shaky at times, and Burdisso certainly doesn’t offer the same insurance as his former club teammate, Samuel.

Prediction: Germany 3 – Argentina 1

This game shouldn’t disappoint, and should deliver plenty of goals. The first twenty minutes of the game will most likely take place in the middle of the park with both teams trying to assert control of the midfield. Ozil will be closely followed by Mascherano, but if the latter pays too much attention to the Bremen playmaker, expect Khedira to regularly push forward, creating imbalances. The Germans will keep close tabs on Messi, but I don’t anticipate any extra-special plan to mark him. It’s reasonable to think that Khedira will be given the task of following the Barcelona man around since he did so effectively for Stuttgart in the Champions League. Joachim Low will probably be more focused on Tevez than any other player, since he’s benefitted the most from the attention paid to Messi during Argentina’s previous games. The difference maker in this game will be Argentina’s inability to deal with Klose, Podolski, and Muller, especially when the Germans attack through the air. Podolski and Muller will stretch out the defense allowing Klose to roam in the box, making life very difficult for his Bundesliga teammate.