The World Cup is inching towards its penultimate match and only 8 of the 32 teams that took part in the high level contest made it to the quarter final leg of the race — Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Costa Rica, Argentina and Belgium have made it to the quarters of this edition of the FIFA World Cup.
France and Germany will lock horns on Friday in the first quarters, while Brazil and Colombia meet on Saturday. Saturday is also when the third quarter final takes place between Belgium and Argentina. Netherlands and Costa Rica meet on Sunday when the last quarter final unfolds.
Germany looks like the team to beat throughout this entire contest. They have been consistent, they have showed muscle power and most importantly, they have had their strategies click for them. They won three out of their 4 encounters which includes a 2-1 win against Algeria, 1-0 win against United States and a 4-0 win against Portugal. The only match they didn’t won was against Ghana, where they drew 2-2. Their key players are Thomas Müller and Lukas Podolski. One word of caution for the German team: their defense is poor and France would be looking to hit the nail right there.
France’s entry into the quarter finals have been just as exciting and fruitful as Germany’s. They too have won three of their four encounters. Their first win came against Honduras, which was a 3-0 affair and they followed it up with a 5-2 win against Switzerland. Their next win came against Nigeria where they won 2-0. Their only draw came against Ecuador, which was a goalless match. If one takes a look at all the wins, they have been by big margins. They literally butchered their opponents and Germany should be wary, already. Their key players are Karim Benzema and Moussa Sissoko.
If one takes a look at the head-to-head count between the two countries, France has won 11 of the 25 encounters, while Germany has managed only 8. The rest of the matches ended up in a draw. Shkodran Mustafi, Mats Hummels and Bastian Schweinsteiger, some of Germany’s key players have fallen prey to injuries. This could put the Germans in a spot of bother. However, what works for Germany is the fact that they are up against a team that has failed to convert a lot of goals. They should be taking heart in it and should be raring to go. Germany is one of the teams that has scored goals in all the matches, so that should give them confidence too.