It is possible we could have an all South America or all Europe final. But we will see at least one European team in the final four.
In my eyes, the Brazil / Colombia match is the tightest. Neymar potentially being out, gives an advantage to Colombia. His speed can be troubling. But even if he plays, he may not be at top speed. So far, i've been unimpressed by Brazil. However, Brazil has the crowd and comfort with the heat over all the other teams. Both the Germans and the Dutch have struggled in the heat. I don't see how Qatar will pull this off in 2022.
As to Germany / France, I think the Germans will take them. They have a lot more depth and I think they can hold the midfield against France. Schweinsteiger has not looked good and their wing backs can struggle, but I don't see France utilizing the width of the field as well as Germany or Holland. They also don't have Ribbery, who before his injury was mayber the best offensive player over the last 12 months. I confess, I would love to see Klose get one more goal to break the lifelong Goal record tie he shares currently.
The Fourth of July schedule is unfortunate, but so is the overlap with Ramadan. However, I don't see FIFA nor Brazil worrying about US holidays. Given Brazil's religious nature, I was mildly surprised that we would see matches on Sundays.
Last edited by Shawn Pixley; 07-03-2014 at 2:10 PM.
Shawn
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