After a month of watching the worlds best soccer players representing their countries, we are finally down to the last two teams left in the competition, Germany and Argentina who will play for the World Cup trophy on Sunday, July 13, at 3 PM.ET.
Germany vs. Argentina Preview
Argentina hasnt been to the finals since 1990, where they lost to Germany 1-0; they had won the trophy at the previous tournament in 1986, but could not win it for the second time in a row.
Since then, they have been eliminated from the quarterfinals of the 2006 and 2010 World Cups by Germany, which should either give them motivation to win this championship, or puts some doubt in their heads, the good news is that we will find out when they play on Sunday.
The win against Brazil was a little payback for losing the finals in 2002, and it was also a historic night for Miroslav Klose, who scored his second goal of the tournament against Brazil, giving him sole possession of the all time World Cup goal scored record. He will try to tack one or two more goals to the record, when he plays in his final World Cup game on Sunday.
Lionel Messi started the competition very well, scoring four goals in three games; he hasnt been as effective lately, mostly due to the fact that he attracts two or three defenders when he touches the ball. He will need to find a way to be more effective and help his country win the trophy for the first time in 18 years.
Defensively, Argentina has done a great job lately, and will try to do it again against the Germans. They have shut out Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands, three of the most talented offensive teams in the tournament, and will add Germany to the list if they are victorious.
Thomas Mueller has been the star of the German team from their first game, his five goals are second to James Rodriguezs six, he will have the opportunity to tie or pass the mark in the championship game, which will give him the Golden Boot, but he is more worried about helping his team win their first championship in 14 years.
The game will come down to who played better defense, both teams are known for their scoring, but they are also two of the best defensive teams in the tournament, and have combined to allow only five goals in the tournament, But Argentina might have the edge, because they are essentially going to be playing a home game in front of their home crowd.
Germany vs. Argentina Betting Pick
Game Line: Germany +127 vs. Argentina +226, draw +206
Personal Pick: The Germans are the stronger team, and are coming off a 7-1 embarrassment of the host team, they should be able to keep Messi in check, and eliminate Argentina from the World Cup for the third straight time.