Germany v Spain preview - Can David Villa and Spain stop Germany?
Wednesday's semi-final showdown between Germany and Spain could be a World Cup classic - with Spain hoping to erase the demons of a shock 1-0 defeat to Switzerland at the same venue earlier in the tournament.
Betclic are offering you a free "no lose" bet on Germany v Spain. Simply register online and place a £20 bet. If you lose you will get your £20 back.
There must have been some tired legs in the Spain camp after Saturday night’s hard-fought 1-0 win over Paraguay, with Vicente Del Bosque’s team coming up against another side who were happy to park the proverbial bus in front of goal.
Indeed, the European champions looked on the verge of going out at one stage when Gerard Pique inexplicably hauled down Oscar Cardozo, only for the latter to miss from the spot, although Spain are now two games away from a first ever World Cup success and bet365 make them slight favourites at 13/8 to win in Durban.
While La Furia Roja have been squeaking past Portugal and Paraguay in the knockout stages, Germany’s last two matches have seen them tear apart the opposition, with England and Argentina both going into their games as favourites! This will make several punters interested in the 19/10 about this young German team winning in 90 minutes, and they will be keen to test a slightly shaky defence.
However, the flip side of the argument is that England and Argentina didn’t set up to contain their opponents in either game, something that allowed Die Mannschaft the freedom of the park, while Spain have had to probe away to find a breakthrough in both games.
Even so, Germany have built up a veritable head of steam after slaying two of the favourites to win the World Cup, with Paddy Power offering even money that Joachim Loew’s team qualify for their eighth tournament final.
Despite losing Michael Ballack just weeks before the action got under way, the team have been fearless, although Thomas Muller will be suspended for the encounter in Durban.
The match will see two strikers at the top of the goalscoring charts looking to press their claims for the Golden Shoe and it’s Spain’s David Villa who stands one ahead of the competition on five goals after yet another winner against Paraguay. The Barcelona front man is 4/1 (Victor Chandler) to break the deadlock for the fifth game running and Philipp Lahm might not get much chance to roam forward.
For the Germans, Miroslav Klose has benefitted from warming the Bayern bench for most of the season, with the striker looking fresh and sharp as he bagged a brace against Argentina. Indeed, he should have scored a hat-trick and is available at 13/2 (bet365) to break the deadlock against a Spain team that do often leave themselves short at the back.