Tag Archives: Germany

Germany to end Azzurri hoodoo

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Surprisingly Germany have not beaten Italy in their last seven competitive meetings but Die Mannschaft are in prime position to end that disappointing run in their Euro 2012 semi-final showdown on Thursday (Germany 10/11, draw 12/5, Italy 7/2 – Match Betting).

The Germans remain one of the favourites to win Euro 2012, having played better football than defending champions Spain, who have failed to get out of second gear in the tournament so far.

Head coach Joachim Low decided to field a relatively weakened attacking line-up in their 4-2 victory over Greece in the quarter-finals and that decision could prove to be a great move from the tactician.

Mario Gomez (4/1 – First Goalscorer), Lukas Podolski and Thomas Muller were are rested for the win over the Greeks and the trio look set to make a return to the side with fresh legs to face an Italian team who will be weary.

The Germans will have watched in the comfort of their hotel as the Azzurri slogged to a penalty shoot-out victory over England in Kiev.

Having battled for 120 minutes and gone through the drama of the 4-2 shoot-out win over the Three Lions, the match will have taken a lot out of the side who were considered dark horses before the competition.

The big question over the Italians has been where the goals will come from and Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli will be under serious pressure for his starting role after a disappointing showing against England.

Balotelli (7/1 – First Goalscorer) seemed off the pace and most of his shots found their way into the stadium car park rather than anywhere near the goal.

Manager Cesare Prandelli has been pretty loyal to the controversial figure but his patience will have been tested by the player’s below par quarter-final display.

Italy do have other options in attack, with the likes of Antonio Di Natale and Alessandro Diamanti pushing for a starting role to line up alongside Antonio Cassano.

The key man for the Azzurri will once again be their midfield general Andrea Pirlo, who was imperious against the English, who were guilty of giving the Juventus playmaker time and space on the ball.

It’s not the best kept secret in football that if you stop Pirlo you pretty much stop the Italians, so expect Low to have done his homework and have someone like Sami Khedira tracking him throughout the game.

Considering the extra time Germany have had to prepare for this game and the fact they saw off the Greeks in 90 minutes, the odds are really stacked up against the Azzurri (7/4 – To Qualify).

Italy will have to be at their best if they are to come close to beating one of the tournament favourites and it’s hard to see them edging the Germans in normal time, but anything can happen in extra-time and penalties.

However, with the returning firepower of Gomez, Muller and Podolski, Germany (13/8 – Euro 2012 Outright) should manage to book their place in yet another final of a major tournament.

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Germany believe time has come

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The sleepy eyes did not hide the determination behind the stare when Mesut Ozil suggested Euro 2012 would be a failure were Germany to return empty-handed (Germany 13/8 joint favourites – Euro 2012 outright).

Die Mannschaft must first plot a way to beat semi-final opponents Italy for the first time in eight attempts at a major tournament if they are to be crowned European champions for a fourth time (Germany 2/5 – To Qualify).

Key to their chances will be Real Madrid playmaker Ozil, who has rightly been lauded for a number of eye-catching performances and is a generous 9/1 in the First and Last Goalscorer markets.

Victory at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev on Sunday will also be the culmination of a master-plan which was underpinned by the promotion of youth.

Not content with being the only nation with a 100 per cent record left in the tournament, Ozil said Germany would not be satisfied unless they realised their dream.

“We knew before the tournament that we had a strong team,” said the 23-year-old. “We believe in ourselves and the goal is to return to Germany with the title. That’s why we are here and I’m convinced we can do it.”

“No one can stop us now” is the view of newspaper Bild, while Germany captain Philipp Lahm reiterated the side’s mission statement.

He said: “So far we have rewarded ourselves for our hard work in the last few years and weeks. But we have always maintained that we want to play the final on Sunday. We want to win it and want to stay here until the very end.”

Germany no longer enjoy the space they were afforded at the 2010 World Cup, nor are they untouchable (Italy 7/4 – To Qualify).

A 5-3 defeat by Switzerland before the Poland and Ukraine showpiece highlighted flaws in defence, still evident given that Germany have conceded in their three games since keeping a clean sheet against Portugal in their Group B opener.

But with experience comes maturity and this is a Germany side packed with pace and power, complemented by the excellent midfield general Sami Khedira.

The Real Madrid enforcer provides the platform in a tried and trusted 4-2-3-1 formation for the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Ozil, et al to unlock a door.

“He has become a real leader; he is very good, very dynamic, very present,” said coach Joachim Loew. “It is good for the others that he’s there.”

Loew, who rested heavyweights Mario Gomez, Lukas Podolski and Thomas Muller against Greece, has said Germany do not intend to sit back against the Azzurri and will look to dictate.

No doubt with Ozil at the forefront.

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No rescue fund from Germany

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Germany have never lost to Greece in eight previous encounters and Friday’s Euro 2012 quarter-final showdown in Gdansk should hold few fears for the 9/4 outright betting favourites.

Joachim Low has played a straight bat about his side’s hopes of avoiding a Greek tragedy but one suspects the 52-year-old will not lose too much sleep over the 2004 tournament winners.

Greece should be commended for a never-say-die attitude and willingness to dig deep in the trenches. What they lack in style, they make up for in substance and it is this stubbornness which led them to glory in Portugal, where they kept the most clean sheets (three).

This time around they will be missing captain and talisman Giorgios Karagounis, who serves a one-game ban after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament against Russia, and this has to blunt them as an attacking unit.

The game-plan will be to stifle the Germans in midfield and cut off the supply lines but this is knockout football now and therein lies the problem for the Greeks.

The Germans have taken the lead in all three matches at Euro 2012, plus each of their 10 qualifiers, going on to win all of those games. They have not fallen behind in a competitive game since the third-place play-off against Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup and have won their last 14 competitive games.

Low has so many options going forward he should not be concerned about the risk of attacks being cut off at source – nor falling behind against the Greeks, so often the stuff of nightmares against such a resilient bunch.

Mario Gomez has found the form which deserted him at the end of the season for Bayern Munich and has hit three already during Euro 2012, so it is a surprise to see him priced up at 3/1 (First and Last Goalscorer).

Germany have scored two goals or more in 14 of their last 16 games but it may be wise to err against any exotic scorelines at PGE Arena, Gdansk – an angle highlighted by the presence of Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, whose tough austerity measures she has demanded in return for financial aid for the debt-laden Greeks make it unlikely she will be sunning herself on any of the country’s destination hot spots this summer.

Greece are short enough at 4/11 to book a place in the last four, with the draw priced up 4/1 and Greece out as big as 8/1 to complete an upset (90 minutes).

Expect the Germans to come away with a job-done outcome, with focal point Gomez 1-0 (16/1) and 2-0 (14/1) attractive in the Popular Scorecast Selections market.

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Germany to finish the job

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Germany take on Denmark in their final Euro 2012 Group B match on Sunday sitting pretty at the top of the table. But, due to the nature of the standings, defeat could still see them crash out of the competition and they will be looking for at least a point to guarantee qualification to the quarter-finals (Denmark 5/1, Germany 7/10. draw 5/2 Match Prices).

The Germans came into the competition with high hopes of going all the way and they have not disappointed to date, with two typically efficient performances to take maximum points.

But they need to finish the job on Sunday as a sequence of results, however unlikely, could end their participation in the summer’s showpiece event.

Defeat to the Danes, coupled with a 2-0 victory for Portugal over Holland would see Joachim Low’s side on the plane home, with thee teams on six points but with the Germans third on goal difference (Denmark 5/2 To Qualify).

While a Portuguese victory is by no means out of the question, Germany are strong favourites to beat Denmark and have already made it clear they will not just play for a point as their result will have a huge bearing on the other teams in the group.

Indeed Netherlands defender John Heitinga has revealed that some of Germany’s players have promised to help the Oranje by beating Denmark, as a 2-0 victory by the Netherlands over the Portuguese, coupled with a German triumph, would see the bottom nation rise to second and, remarkably, take their place in the quarter-finals.

It looks set to be a fascinating and dramatic finale to Group B this weekend with several twists and turns along the way but the one constant is that the Germans will go out and put on a professional display.

Mario Gomez’s brace proved decisive against the Dutch and Low would have loved to rest the Bayern Munich man for the final group encounter had Germany already secured their passage into the last eight but he will probably get the nod up front in a relatively unchanged starting XI.

A couple of early goals would settle the nerves and mean that the coach could rest some of his stars towards the latter stages of the match and it would surprise nobody to see the 1996 winners secure a comfortable win.

The worry for the Germans is if Denmark manage to score first as victory for Morten Olsen’s men will see them through to the last eight.

It is likely they will then park the proverbial bus to try and hang on to what they have and frustrate their illustrious opponents.

The Danes have punched about their weight in Euro 2012 to date and somehow managed to beat Holland despite conceding the majority of the possession.

They were the beneficiaries of some woeful Holland finishing but defeat to Portugal brought them back down to earth.

They are a solid side with few stars but Nicklas Bendtner’s brace almost gave them a point that would have put them in a much stronger position as regards qualification.

But having to rely on the 24-year-old for goals is never a good thing as he has hardly been prolific in his club career to date and chances will be few and far between against Sunday’s opponents.

The Danes are likely to have to score twice to win the match and it is open to question if they have it in them to do that.

Their defence was found wanting against Portugal with both full-backs given the run-around and they will need to tighten up this weekend otherwise it could be their final match this summer.

Despite the possible permutations for the final group standings, it is Germany who hold all the aces and it is almost unthinkable that they will not get the required result to continue their march towards the final.

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Germany too strong for Portugal

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Portugal will hope to exact revenge over Germany for their Euro 2008 quarter-final defeat when the two sides kick off their campaigns in this summer’s tournament on Saturday, but they will find it tough going against one of the tournament favourites.

Portugal, 3/1 to beat Germany, were dumped out of the competition at the last-eight stage four years ago and know a defeat in this clash, with tough matches against Holland and Denmark to come, will leave them struggling to make the knockout stage.

They face a much-fancied German outfit (Evens, draw 12/5) in Lviv, with many people tipping a win for Joachim Low’s men to get their tournament challenge off to a positive start and, sadly for Paulo Bento’s side, we see it going the same way.

Germany were written off by some before both the Euros in Austria and Switzerland and the subsequent World Cup in South Africa two years ago but proved once again just how good a tournament side they are by only losing to eventual winners Spain in both competitions.

This time around and no-one is making the mistake of underestimating a squad that contains the talents of Mesut Ozil, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller, Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski – to name just five – and they will hope to live up to expectations and be real contenders for the crown this summer.

Portugal, in contrast, only just about made it through to Poland and Ukraine via the play-offs and finished behind fellow group members Denmark in qualifying.

That has predictably led to claims they will struggle in a group containing the quality of Holland and Germany while the lack of a top centre-forward has been cited as one of the reasons why an early exit could loom.

The likes of Nelson Oliveira, Hugo Almeida and the experienced-but-inconsistent Helger Postiga do not exactly strike fear into opposition defenders, but there is real quality elsewhere in the camp.

Cristiano Ronaldo (5/1 to score first/last) is the obvious talisman and, if he produces his dazzling best, the Real Madrid man’s individual brillance can sometimes win games on its own. Premier League stars Nani and Raul Meireles are also impressive performers and, it it all clicks, they might just spring a surprise.

A victory over Germany on Saturday would certainly be one but, as Podolski has predicted, we see this going Germany’s way and the striker’s prediction of a 2-0 win also looks good value at 8/1.

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Real swoop for Germany ace

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Stuttgart have revealed that midfielder Sami Khedira is poised to join Real Madrid (4/1 to win 2010-11 Champions League), after the two clubs agreed a deal.

The 23-year-old impressed during the recent World Cup in South Africa, when he played a big role in helping Germany reach the semi-finals.

After hearing of Real’s interest, Khedira had expressed an interest to move to the Bernabeu and Stuttgart ‘reluctantly’ allowed him to leave.

The German club’s managing director Fredi Bobic accepted: “We can understand Sami’s wish to further his career at Real. We wish him great success with his new challenge in Madrid.”

Khedira, who came through the ranks at his home town club Stuttgart (20/1 to win 2010-11 Bundesliga), is set to become Real’s second major capture of the summer, since the arrival of Jose Morinho

The new coach has already made his stamp on the squad, with the capture of Angel di Maria from Benfica and the departures of veteran duo Raul and Guti.

More new signings are expected to follow soon, with the likes of Inter Milan full-back Maicon and Juventus striker Amauri.

Meanwhile, the Spanish giants have arrived in the US for their North American pre-season tour and Cristiano Ronaldo says the squad is feeling upbeat.

The Portuguese ace said: “We are very excited and working very hard. We have to keep this level of excitement up in order to win titles.”

Ronaldo has been handed the number seven shirt this season, after it was vacated by Raul’s departure.

The former Manchester United man has been full of praise for the Spain striker, who he describes as “a great professional”.

Ronaldo added: “I would like to have the number 7 shirt and I’m sure Raul would be happy if I had it because he knows how I am and how I think.”

Real (Evs to win 2010-11 La Liga) will play their next pre-season friendly on Wednesday, when they come up against Mexican outfit Club America.

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Germany take third place

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Germany coach Joachim LowGermany (5/1 to win European Championships 2012) claimed third place at the World Cup after winning an enthralling play-off 3-2 against Uruguay in Port Elizabeth.

Sami Khedira headed home the winning goal to ensure that Europe claims a 1-2-3 at the tournament.

The Germans took the lead in the first half, but Uruguay led 2-1 at one stage after the interval. Thomas Mueller scored his fifth goal of the tournament to edge the Germans ahead, Edison Cavani levelled and then Diego Forlan matched Mueller’s achievement by notching his fifth goal only for Marcell Jansen to make it 2-2.

The Germans had their share of luck, as Forlan hit the bar with a free-kick deep into injury time. And they might have had to play with 10 men for virtually the whole game if the referee had been harsher on Dennis Aogo’s dreadful challenge on Diego Perez.

Germany made most of the early running, forcing Jorge Fucile and Diego Lugano into some desperate clearances. The South American defence was very nearly breached on ten minutes when a deep corner from Mesut Oezil was firmly headed against the bar by Arne Friedrich, with Fernando Muslera beaten. Mueller could not wrestle home the rebound.

But Bastian Schweinsteiger paved the way for Germany’s first goal, his long range shot being spilled by Muslera for Mueller to react quickly and net the rebound.

Forlan had already worried the German rearguard with a blocked back post header from a deflected cross by the time Cavani drew the sides level. Perez superbly picked the pocket of Schweinsteiger in the centre of the park, setting in motion a break that saw the Europeans outnumbered from the outset. Luis Suarez rolled a well-weighted pass to the Palmero striker, who took a touch before stretching to prod the ball by Butt and into the net.

Uruguay might have grabbed the lead four minutes before the break. Forlan’s clever reverse pass released Suarez but the Ajax striker dragged his shot wide from a somewhat awkward angle.

Arevalo Rios found himself uncharacteristically far forward down the right and lobbed a waist-height pass back towards the edge of the box, from where Forlan showed stunning poise to volley home a terrific goal with his right foot.

Germany had posed no serious threat after the interval until they levelled up on 55 minutes. Jerome Boateng’s cross from deep on the right side was badly missed by the out-of-sorts Muslera, allowing Jansen to unconventionally knock the ball into the empty net with his head.

Stefan Kiessling was introduced by Joachim Loew to add some attacking flair at the expense of Cacau. The Bayer Leverkusen man’s clever turn in the box with quarter of an hour brought with it a scoring chance, though his drive was straight at Muslera, who batted the ball uncomfortably clear.

Loew’s side were looking the more likely side to snatch third place, and they did just that with nine minutes remaining. Another deep Oezil corner was allowed to bounce about the six yard box. Khedira ultimately got the decisive touch, sending a clever header looping over Muslera and into the top corner of the net.

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Germany wait on key man

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Germany striker Miroslav Klose (5/1 to win the World Cup Golden Boot) will have a late fitness test ahead of Saturday evening’s World Cup 2010 third-place play-off against Uruguay.

The 32-year-old, who is one strike away from equalling Ronaldo’s World Cup goal record, suffered a back injury in the semi-final defeat to Spain.

Klose, who has four goals in the tournament, missed Friday’s final training session but Germany remain upbeat about his prospects of facing Uruguay in Port Elizabeth (Uruguay 19/5, Draw 14/5, Germany 7/10 – Match Betting).

Assistant coach Hansi Flick admits it will be Klose “who will decide” whether he is fit to play, with the squad keen to help him reach the impressive goalscoring feat.

Flick stated: “He can go down in history if he scores one or two goals. The whole team wants to help him do it.”

Germany will also make late decisions on Philipp Lahm and Lukas Podolski having been suffering with a bout of flu this week, which has also laid low coach Joachim Low.

Midfielder Thomas Muller is also set to return to the starting line-up after suspension, while Joachim Low has minor doubts over Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil.

Assistant Flick, who faced the press conference in the absence of Low, insists that the squad will be going all out for victory, despite outside apathy about the third-place match.

Low’s number two stated: “Third place is our minimum target and the match allows us to finish on a positive note.

“We are facing a Uruguayan side who are hard to unsettle, but we have shown against England and Argentina that the players are not frightened by this task.”

Meanwhile, the South Americans will look to Diego Forlan to deliver the goods, with four goals in the tournament so far.

The Atletico Madrid frontman picked up a slight thigh problem in the semi-final loss to the Netherlands, forcing him to be withdrawn in the last five minutes.

But Forlan is expected to start and is likely to be paired alongside Luis Suarez, who is available again after suspension following his sending-off against Ghana.

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez has warned Germany that they will “fight to the death” and that Saturday’s game is very important to them.

Tabarez insisted: “We will go in with the same commitment and enthusiasm as always. We will prepare to fight to the death.”

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Casillas looking forward to Germany match

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Spain captain Iker Casillas says his sides World Cup semi-final against Germany on Wednesday night is the most important match in the country’s footballing history. (Spain 8/5 to beat Germany)

The Spanish were seen as perennial underachievers until they won the European Championships in 2008 to alleviate some of the pressure on the national side.

But the Euro 2008 victory has been quickly forgotten and the Spanish population now expect their side to go and lift the ultimate goal in football at the World Cup.

Victory in the match against Germany would book Spain a place in their first World Cup final and make the likelihood of a second major trophy in two years even more of a possibility.

Howver, Casillas is not taking anything for granted and admits his side are aware of the pressure on them.

“People are not telling us how good we were at Euro 2008,” said the keeper.

“People are saying we have to win the World Cup. The people want the World Cup.

“We know that the Germany match is the most important in our history, even more than the Euro 2008 final in Austria.

“We did not come here to finish fourth. The European Championships is in the past and was a complete success, it was fantastic.

“Everyone was flying the (Spanish) flag from the rooftops but now, from what we are seeing, this is the most important match for Spain for a very long time.”

Spent went into the tournament as outright favourites for the title and despite an early hiccup against Switzerland, look right on course to fulfil their billing despite not yet hitting the heights they reached in qualification (Spain 15/8 to win the World Cup).

However Germany are the in-form side in the championship and have impressed with their free flowing football. The Germans destroyed Diego Maradona’s Argentina 4-0 in the quarters and look a danger every time they go forward.

Spain striker Fernando Torres has so far disappointed in the tournament after coming back from knee surgery.

However, Casillas believes this has further demonstrated the strength of the Spanish squad and the importance of the team rather than the individuals.

“This shows that a national team is not at all about only one player.

“A player can win you a tournament, like Argentina and (Diego) Maradona (in Mexico in 1986).

“But today, more and more, the team is what counts. A player can perform very well but at the end of the day everything is based around teamwork.”

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Germany 6/1 to win World Cup

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England boss Fabio CapelloGermany have been shortened to 6/1 to win the World Cup after beating England 4-1 in Bloemfontein.

Goals from Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski put the Germans 2-0 up inside the first 32 minutes before England struck back through a Matthew Upson header which converted a Steven Gerrard delivery.

England could, and should, have been level a minute later when a Frank Lampard effort cannoned off the crossbar, over the line and then back out of the goal. The match officials failed to spot the “goal”, much to the frustration of the England bench and fans.

In the second half, England tried to press for their second but were hit by two swift counterattacks, which resulted in two goals for Thomas Muller.

It was no less than what Germany deserved, who were the dominant force throughout the game and were aided by some suspect defending from the English.

The result ends a dismal campaign for England as Fabio Capello’s men struggled to get out of Group C, a group which had been perceived as “easy” when it was drawn back in December.

Doubts still remain over the future of Capello as England boss although he categorically stated after the match that he will not resign. However, he went on to say that he would discuss his position with the FA upon the squad’s return to England.

Capello accepted that his side had made mistakes against Germany, but cited the referee as making the biggest error.

“We played well at 2-1, but after the third goal it was a little bit disappointing,” said the Italian.

“We played well. Germany is a big team. They played a good game. We made some mistakes when they played on the counter-attack. The referee made bigger mistakes.

“Little things always decide the result.”

Unsurprisingly, England’s players are pointing to the disallowed goal as being the turning point of the match.

Captain Steven Gerrard highlighted the decision but also accepted that England had not been defensively solid enough.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, he said “I think it’s difficult, we are suffering.

“It looks like we took a hiding today but that wasn’t the case. As a team we weren’t defensively solid enough.

“There were key decisions in the game. At 2-1 we had a goal disallowed. At this level the small details dictate games and that would have been a key goal for us and maybe we would have gone on and won it.”

Defender John Terry said that the 4-1 scoreline flattered Germany. He also highlighted his own disappointment.

“In the second half we played a lot better. The scoreline doesn’t reflect the way the game was – they got three goals from counter. We’re just disappointed; we wanted to be here until the end.”

In Sunday’s other game, Argentina beat Mexico 3-1 courtesy of a Carlos Tevez brace and a Gonzalo Higuain effort. They are 7/2 second favourites to win the World Cup whilst Higuain, who is the current top scorer in the competition with four goals, is the 7/5 favourite to win the Golden Boot.

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