Chelsea are the bookies’ favourites (2.80). With the great Michael Essien back to fitness I expect Chelsea to perform on the same level as last season and they are obvious favourites. OK, their strikers Drogba and Anelka are not getting any younger, but they will be fine for this season. Benayoun has joined the club from Liverpool, a definite asset for sure. Ramires, the Brazilian international midfielder now playing for Benfica, is on the verge of joining Chelsea. A quality signing, for sure.

M United come next (3.75). Only a late injury to W Rooney stopped United from winning the title last season. They were a bit over dependant on Rooney, but maybe their young strikers J Hernandez and Macheda will make life easier for Rooney and United this season. Nani, Valencia, Berbatov, yes, in my opinion M United are stronger offensively than Chelsea.

It would be silly to dismiss Man City as Premiership winners (6.50). They made a strong impression last season, although they deservedly lost a decisive game to Tottenham late on. Mancini knows his players by now and their new signings are all world class players. David Silva, Ya Ya Toure, Kolarov, J Boateng are all fantastic acquisitions.

I am waiting for Arsenal to sign a new keeper and a tough, holding midfielder. A Vieira type of player. If they do, but this I very much doubt, they could be worth backing (8.00), but only then. I am sometimes getting tired of their light weight midfield, not to mention their shaky keepers, but you cannot trust coach Wenger these days. Although his team consequently lost the “big fixtures” last season, he seems to think that his present squad can win the title. I do not think that C Fabregas agrees. There is the problem with Fabregas, he wants to win titles and he does not think that Arsenal are strong enough. New defender Koscielny will form a partner ship with Vermaelen, Chamakh, new striker, sounds like a catch, but please buy a new keeper and a tough ballwinner on the midfield. It will not happen. Wenger’s intent is to include the two youngsters, both 18 year old, Frimpong and Wilshere in his squad instead of an experienced midfielder. I give up!

Much as I like the way that Tottenham are playing their football I predict that they will have problems repeating the success from last season. To play on two fronts, the Premiership and the Champions League, will have a negative effect on their league campaign. It is not like this is an absolute law, but it generally works that way for the “newer” Champions League participants. Anyway the odds on Tottenham as league winners are 40.00. I prefer 40.00 on Tottenham to the 16.00 offered on Liverpool as Premier League winners, but they both look far fetched.

Liverpool will rely on F Torres for goals and they have added both Joe Cole and Jovanovic to their squad. Danish C Poulsen could replace Mascherano, if the Argentinean should leave. Roy Hodgson has replaced Benitez as their head coach. Hodgson did a fantastic job for Fulham, but he was sacked some years ago, when he was managing Blackburn. This writer thinks highly of Hodgson, but will he succeed with Liverpool? No guarantee, but Liverpool will not be throwing away as many easy points under Hodgson as under the Benitez regime. Torres? Too often in the treatment room for my liking. Should new owners, presumably with lots of funds, take over Liverpool we could be facing a much strengthened Liverpool side in the months to come.

I always get the feeling that the season is too long for A Villa, but it probably has to do with the fact that they do not have a big squad. Potentially they can compete with the best, but they have a tendency of fading late in the season. I am not too sure of their big strikers, Carew and Heskey. Their best days are behind them. Villa have to hold on to James Milner.

A stronger start for Everton this season and they will better their result from last year. According to reports coach Moyes is 100% content with his present squad. His best ever and the Everton collective will be hard to beat. A place in the top six?

Surely these eight sides represent the elite in this seasons Premier League. My pick will be M United to win the title (3.75), but I have to say that I am eager to see Rio Ferdinand back to fitness.

Going down? WBA look pretty much the same as they usually do when they get a chance to play in the Premiership. It has not worked for them before, and I fear that they will struggle again. Blackpool have the weakest Premiership squad that I have ever seen and so far no new signings. Getting promoted obviously has shocked the club. The Wolves supporters should not be too worried. Coach McCarthy has bought wisely. S Fletcher was the outstanding Burnley player last season and he is nowadays a Wolves player, Belgian defender van Damme as well. I trust coach Grant to make a better job than Zola for West Ham, but so far they have not made any really important signings.

I expected Newcastle to be more active on the transfer market. Nothing wrong with D Gosling, J Perch and Sol Campbell, but at least this writer thought that Newcastle would be more ambitious than those signings indicate. Maybe it will happen in this last week. Bolton will do better than last season. I like their coach Coyle and I approve of his new signings, especially M Petrov and R Blake.

Although Birmingham have signed the big Serb, N Zigic, I very much doubt that they will be as successful as last season. Together with Fulham they surpassed all expectations last year. I can see Birmingham struggling this season.

Fulham and Roy Hodgson have been an amazing combination these last few years. Mark Hughes has a tough job replacing Hodgson and I guess that we can rule out a place in Europe this time around. I am not really familiar with the Sunderland signings, but coach Bruce usually gets it right on the transfer market. Sunderland had some really great moments last season, but went out of form in some inexplicable way. A more steady season and a place in the top ten is a distinct possibility.

Stoke look the same, but maybe their point ratio will mot be as high as last season. Blackburn look the same, but they will probably collect more points this time around. Looking at the Wigan squad, I am not too impressed, but coach Martinez knows more about his new signings that this writer does and I better be careful with my opinions. Blackpool are mega favourites to go down (1.29), you can get 1.91 on the WBA relegation and then it is even stevens between quite a few sides. Birmingham (8.50) to get relegated could be a long shot.

The PGA Championship is the last major of the year and this year it is at Whistling Straits on the shores of Lake Michigan. This tournament is for the professionals only and there will be some unfamiliar names in the field, as 20 club pros are invited to take part. The USPGA was last held at Wisconsin in 2004 when Vijay Singh triumphed. At 7507 yards, it is a very difficult course but, despite the numerous bunkers, it still favours long hitters. Pete Dye designed the course to be similar to the links courses of Ireland and Scotland. The greens are much larger than average, so putting will be important. There are 2 players from Wisconsin taking part – Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker. It is a very scenic course with beautiful views of Lake Michigan from all 18 holes.

Value match bet with Ladbrokes:

10/11 Stricker v Els 6 units

Stricker has recovered from his injury now and is back in form. He has played 14 times this year and not missed a cut. He will have home advantage as he is from Wisconsin . Ernie Els played poorly in the 4th round last week and missed 3 consecutive cuts before that.

Value match bet with The Greek:

5/6 Watson v C.Wood 6 units

Bubba Watson is a long hitter and should be favoured by the course. Chris Wood finished third last time out, but had 2 consecutive missed cuts before that.

Value match bet with Hills:

21/20 T.Clark v Oosthuizen 3 units

Tim Clark is not a long hitter – but is an excellent putter – and this will give him an advantage on the enormous greens. He played at Whistling Straits in 2004 and leads Oosthuizen 5-0 in head-to- heads over a 3 year period. Louis Oosthuizen has not played the course before.

Value match bet with BlueSquare:

10/11 McDowell v Fisher 3 units

Graeme McDowell likes links courses, hailing from Northern Ireland, and has very good memories of the last Major which he won. He has been consistent since winning the US Open: 1 – - 21 23 – 31 22, and these are the sort of figures that you want for match betting. Ross Fisher won a tournament 2 weeks ago but trails McDowell 8-1 in head0-to-heads over a 3 year period.

Value match bet with Boylesports:

10/11 Donald v Fisher 3 units

Luke Donald is in good form at the moment and finished 24th in this event in 2004. He is a good scrambler, which is important on a difficult course. He leads Fisher 4-1 in head to heads.

Finishing positions:

Sell Stricker at 34 with Sporting Index for 0.3 units

Sell KT Kim at 62 with Sporting Index for 0.5 units

Buy Oosthuizen at 45 with Spreadex for 0.2 units

And it’s hard to argue with the finalists: Holland have won every game of their World Cup campaign (including qualifiers), and Spain – while not prolific in front of goal – have controlled games expertly with their unparalleled passing game.

It’s also a final that ensures a couple of notable firsts: a first-time winner, and also a first ‘away’ victory for Europe in football’s biggest event.

But will it be an Oranje boom or a Spanish fiesta?

The layers are convinced it’ll be the Spanish celebrating in Johannesburg’s Soccer City on Sunday night, with Vicente Del Bosque’s pass-masters a best of 6/5 with William Hill to win inside 90 minutes, and a general 4/7 chance to lift the trophy.

But we feel that underestimates the Dutch. Their long unbeaten record simply must be respected, and Coral’s standout 13/8 on Holland lifting the trophy is tempting. They could have done no more, and are just 90 minutes from a perfect tournament.

But there might just be a better way of getting the Dutch onside: their star player in South Africa has undoubtedly been Wesley Sneijder. He’s been their main creative force and weighed in with five goals to leave him in with a great chance of snaring the Golden Boot.

But one award he’s surely set to claim is the adidas Golden Ball award for the tournament’s best player.

Only one player – one-tournament-wonder Toto Schillaci – in 1990 has won the award without playing in the final, and he had other factors on his side: home advantage, and the general lack of flair and excitement on offer from the finalists West Germany and Argentina (although Lothar Matthaus was probably unlucky to collect only the Silver Ball. Diego Maradona getting the Bronze Ball is an enduring mystery).

So that means we can reasonably exclude the claims of Germans and Uruguayans, however impressive the likes of Mesut Ozil, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Diego Forlan have been over the last four weeks.

If Holland win, it’s hard to see any way their playmaker and leading goalscorer doesn’t get the nod, barring a stunning final hat-trick from Arjen Robben or David Villa. Even so, it’d still be hard to make a case that Sneijder hadn’t been the key player across the tournament as a whole having been named man of the match in four of Holland’s six matches to date. As he’s a reasonable bit longer for the Golden Ball (15/8) than Holland are to lift the trophy, that alone makes the bet a bit of value.

But there has to be a reasonable chance Sneijder still gets the nod even in defeat. The last three Golden Ball winners have all been runners-up (Zinedine Zidane in 2006, Oliver Kahn in 2002 and Ronaldo in 1998).

This has generally been down to more than one standout performer from the winners splitting the vote (which, as we’ve said, we don’t see being the case should Holland win this time round). At the last World Cup, Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro and Andrea Pirlo were second and third, while Ronaldo (Silver Ball winner) and Rivaldo must have been hard to split in 2002, and France’s success in 1998 was based on a team effort rather than any individual star (Lilian Thuram was their only representative in the top three).

It’s easy to see a similar scenario should Spain triumph. While they have been reliant on David Villa for goals (he’s netted five of their seven to date in South Africa) their success has been built largely on the control they exert in midfield thanks to the passing game of Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets.

It’s certainly easy to envisage the first two of those three splitting any vote on Spanish stars alongside 15/8 joint-favourite Villa.

To emphasise the point, Sneijder’s four man of the match awards (and must have been close to another when scoring one and making the other against Slovakia) stack up well against just one for Villa and two apiece for Xavi and Iniesta.

It’s not an exact science, of course, but does highlight the way Sneijder has dominated Holland’s campaign in a way no Spain player has. His only serious rival from within is Robben, and he missed the start of the tournament through injury.

In summary: if Holland win, Sneijder almost certainly takes the award; if Spain win, he still might.

And as he’s a significantly better price to win the Golden Ball than Holland are to win the tournament, it has to be the value call.

However, Spain’s ability to control a game against top-class opposition was highlighted perfectly on Wednesday night against the Germans.

But they’ve not fired in the final third and, having won all three knockout games 1-0, it seems worth a saver on that scoreline at Victor Chandler’s and Ladbrokes’ 11/2.

Verdict: Holland 2 Spain 1

Holland vs. Spain

After 31 days of World Cup football, the climax of the tournament will see Holland face Spain in the first ever World Cup final on African soil. This game will be played on Sunday the 11th July, 2010, in Soccer City, Johannesburg. Both teams will be find themselves in a chance to win their first ever World Cup in their history and either one of them can be crowned the 8th nation to win a world cup. Holland and Spain have never met in a big tournament and both stepping into unmarked territory.

Holland reached their third world cup final since 1978 without requiring to show off their total football style. It can be said that the Netherlands are withholding themselves from reaching their potential until they get to the final or they just found the goals at the right time for being at the right place. That would extend to one man, Arjen Robben, his injury could be a blessing in the end as their World Cup campaign exploded when he came back into the scenes. That boost gave the squad a much needed push and Van Persie along with fellow Premier League star, Dirk Kuyt, to play with confidence. No one more than Wesley Sneijder has enjoy a better tournament, his is a prime example of adversity. Ban from wearing the Real Madrid shirt, he was offload to Inter Milan and showed the world that he is still a winner, by winning treble with the Italian champion this season and within whiskers away of a lifting the biggest prize in football for the first time. He is also a candidate for the best player in the World Cup and wining the World Cup could set him as favorites for both European and World Players of the Year awards. Coach Bert Van Marwijk played his part in taking his men to the final by bring on Rafael Van der Vaart in the 2nd half against Uruguay. The game swung into the Dutch’s favor and never looked back, a genius master stroke and that shows the depth of the Dutch side that is ready to incarnate their names into the World Cup champions list. Gregory Van Der Wiel and Nigel De Jong are set to return to the starting line up on Sunday while Demy De Zeeuw suffered a jaw injury was not as bad as first feared.

Spain beat Germany 1-0 in their ever semifinals appearance and now generous reward in a first ever appearance in the World Cup final. They seems to be breaking grounds in the World Cup if they are set to win the final game as there has never been a champion lifting the cup after losing their opening game. Their 1-0 defeat to Switzerland in the group stages have given the Spanish team a warning of what complacency could do to them. Ever since that defeat, Spain have won the last five consecutive games and four of last wins was with a goal. Striker David Villa have carried the team ever since the group stages but it was defender Carlos Puyol winning header that see them through to the final, repeating a feat in the Euro 2008 final. The Spanish control large part of the game and deservedly won the game after wearing down their opponent. It was a change of the formation that helped Spain to keep possession of the ball as Fernando Torres was dropped to the bench in favor of a 4-5-1 formation. The passing and movement were more fluid, improving from their quarterfinals match against Paraguay, however it was still no vintage performance from the Spanish. Coach Del Bosque will yet again tinker with his best formation to face Holland in a once in a life time opportunity to lift the cup, stretching a golden era of Spanish players finally emerging from their shadows of their past results in the World Cup. The focus will surely come from the midfield but the success of the Spanish campaign will need the defense to be on song yet again, as they were tested against Germany and the defensive line of Puyol, Pique, Ramos and Capdevilla responded well.

The World Cup will have a first-time winner in 2010 and rightly so as two European teams will meet in a grand finale watched by billions all over the world. The Netherlands marches on into the World Cup final by beating Uruguay 3-2 in the semifinals and set a new World Cup with 14 consecutive World Cup games (qualifiers and tournament). This determination and bond they have looks to put to a rest that the Dutch camp will find a way to self destruct. Spain showed their mentality strengthen by demonstrating that they can defend and boss the game while winning game ugly if necessary. They might not get enough bodies in the box when attacking and that explains their low scoring rate in the World Cup. Two of the most inform players, Holland’s Sneijder and Spanish’s David Villa might be fight to lift the cup but on a personal level, the top scorer and player of the tournament award in also on the line. The Spanish are weak favorites to take this.

What BettingExpert Team Predict

I completely agree with Joachim. We saw in Holland vs. Brazil that Holland were overmatched, I blame it more on the mistakes by Brazil than on the qualities on Holland that they managed to kick Brazil out of the World Cup. Yesterday Spain showed what they are capable of and we’ll see a 3-1 victory for Spain in the Final! (Jesper)

Both finalist are about to set new records and Spain could be the second team to lift the World Cup as the reigning European Champions. (Joe )

Spain finally seem to have found their ultimate form, while the Netherlands still managed to struggle against a rather harmless Uruguayan side. It will be an easy win for Spain, and a one-sided final. There simply is no Mourinho to stop this kind of play this time around. (Joachim )

Well, 3 games 3 goals, lets say 4 games and 4 goals. This time one goal will not be enough for Spain, as I believe the Dutch attack stand a better chance than the Germans. Spain will thankfully be defeated 2-1 by the Dutch. (Marc )

Uruguay didn’t exactly have a very difficult path to the semi-finals of the World Cup but that shouldn’t detract from their truly adventurous journey. The South Americans featured in the last four of a World Cup for the first time in 40 years and indeed gave the Netherlands a run for their money, narrowly losing 3-2.

Moreover, the  Celeste could point out that the Oranje’s first two goals were controversial: Mark Van Bommel had commited a foul in the build-up to Giovanni Van Bronckhorst’s wonder strike while Robin Van Persie was offside for Wesley Sneijder’s goal.

Nevertheless, Uruguay shouldn’t be too depressed as their team were arguably the most ‘romantic’ in the competition and for a nation with just 3.5 million inhabitants, reaching the semi-finals ahead of Argentina and Brazil was indeed an achievement in itself. On other occasions finishing third in the World Cup wouldn’t mean much but the honour of being officially the third best team in the finals is a massive incentive to play well and win on Saturday night.

Making Their Nation Proud

Germany must be feeling sore after crashing out of the World Cup on Wednesday evening. Die Mannschaft were easily the best and most attractive team in South Africa, having dispatched England and Argentina in the last two rounds with ease, but against European champions Spain in the semis they met their match.

La Furia Roja taught the Euro 2008 finalists a footballing lesson, winning 1-0 to reach the final of a World Cup for the first time in their history as the Germans failed to show their true colours. Of course, the margin of defeat means that Joachim Loew’s side can go out with heads held high, but they will certainly be looking to make up for that defeat with a win on Saturday evening.

Four years back Germany finished third in the 2006 World Cup finals they themselves hosted by defeating Portugal in the third place play-off. The current Germany team is a very young one but they have shown lots of potential to scale the heights. Indeed, a win against Uruguay that will enable them to finish third for the second World Cup in a row – this will be a great achievement indeed.

The game could also be a special occasion for striker Miroslav Klose. The 32-year-old has a total of 14 goals in the World Cup finals, just one short of Brazilian legend Ronaldo’s all-time record of 15. He is struggling for fitness but the Bayern Munich forward will be desperate to start against Uruguay to equal or even beat Ronaldo’s record.

FORM GUIDE

Uruguay

 
Germany

 
Uruguay 2-3 Netherlands Germany 0-1 Spain
Uruguay 1-1 Ghana Argentina 0-4 Germany
Uruguay 2-1 South Korea Germany 4-1 England
Mexico 0-1 Uruguay Ghana 0-1 Germany
South Africa 0-3 Uruguay Germany 0-1 Serbia
TEAM NEWS

Uruguay

Midfielder Walter Gargano is set to miss out but striker Luis Suarez will be back from suspension. However, star man Diego Forlan picked up an injury against the Netherlands and there are some doubts on his fitness. Centre-back Diego Lugano will start in defence, meaning that Diego Godin will be on the bench.

Probable Line-up (4-2-3-1): Muslera, M. Pereira, Victorino, Lugano, Caceres; D. Perez, Arevalo; A. Fernandez, Forlan, Cavani; Suarez Gargano, A. Pereira; Forlan, Cavani

Germany

Striker Miroslav Klose picked up a back injury in Germany’s defeat to Spain and there are suggestions that he won’t be able to start against Uruguay. Assistant coach Hansi Flick also hinted that midfielders Sami Khedira and Mesut Oezil too have problems. Marcell Jansen is also likely to start at left-back ahead of Jerome Boateng. Thomas Mueller will be back from suspension and will replace Piotr Trochowski in midfield.

Probable Line-up (4-2-3-1): Neuer, Lahm, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Jansen; Khedira, Schweinsteiger; Mueller, Oezil, Podolski; Klose

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Uruguay

Luis Suarez. The Ajax striker missed the semifinal against the Netherlands due to suspension as he was sent off against Ghana in the quarterfinals. However, Suarez will start against Germany in the third place playoff and will be the Uruguayans’ main threat.

Diego Forlan could miss out as he is reportedly struggling with an injury and this means that Suarez will have to shoulder most of the burden of scoring goals. The 23-year-old has netted the ball thrice in the competition and he still does have a chance of winning the Golden Boot.

Germany

Thomas Mueller. The Bayern Munich youngster missed the semifinal clash with Spain because of suspension and one of Germany’s reasons for failure against the Iberians was his absence. However, Mueller is set to return against Uruguay on Saturday evening and will be eying the Golden Boot award.

Mueller is Germany’s joint-top goalscorer in the World Cup with four goals, just one behind the tournament’s top scorer – Spain’s David Villa – and with Miroslav Klose struggling for fitness, the 20-year-old will be Germany’s main goal-threat against the South Americans.

PREDICTION

Germany go into Saturday’s match as favourites and indeed they should win the game comfortably. Until their semifinal defeat to Spain, the 2006 World Cup semifinalists were the best team in the World Cup and they do have a superior team to Uruguay.

The Castrol World Cup match predictor gives the Germans a 62 per cent chance of winning the game while Uruguay are said to have just a 38 per cent chance. However, Germany should be aware of the threat that Luis Suarez poses and mustn’t get too complacent.

Uruguay 0-2 Germany

The average age of the Germany team that started against Argentina in the quarter-finals of the World Cup was only 25 and this says it all. For a team as young as Germany, indeed it is an achievement in itself to have reached as far as the semi-finals of the World Cup outside of Europe.

Moreover, among the four remaining teams in South Africa, Germany have been by far the most impressive side and have also had the most difficult path to the semis. The group stage was relatively easy but England in the last 16 were a tough proposition and so were Argentina in the quarters. However, Die Mannschaft blew away both Fabio Capello’s and Diego Armando Maradona’s sides, scoring four against each of them. In fact, Germany have scored four goals in three different games in the World Cup so far – they started their campaign with a 4-0 hammering of Australia.

Germany’s football too has been scintillating with players in every position clicking. The defence does look susceptible but with their midfielders Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger protecting the back four and also providing the impetus for attack, the 2006 World Cup semi-finalists have been hugely impressive in that area.

Two years ago Germany lost to Spain in the final of Euro 2008 and this time they will be up for revenge. Coach Joachim Loew has already thrown the gauntlet down to the European champions by saying that Germany are now on a par with Spain, and indeed given their performances so far, it would be hard to argue against that. But with key player Thomas Mueller suspensed for the game, it could be difficult for the Germans up front.

Destiny beckons for European champions

Spain came into the World Cup finals as one of the two outright favourites but so far they haven’t really been on top of their game. Granted, since their opening game defeat to Switzerland, La Furia Roja have won every single match with striker David Villa emerging as one of the best three players of the competition, but Spain haven’t really been very convincing.

Goals haven’t come with ease and the midfield too has been bullied by defensive sides. Striker Fernando Torres has been woefully out of form and the defence has looked vulnerable on occasions. However, so far Spain have had to confront sides who would park the bus in front of their goal and against them Vicente del Bosque’s side have struggled.

Germany will be a different proposition altogether and Spain can rest assured that they will not have to face a ‘wall’ at the back. But Germany will also conjure up a different type of threat altogether: a Khedira-Schweinsteiger combination in the holding role implies that Spain’s only ‘full-blooded defensive midfielder’ Sergio Busquets could be bullied.

Yet the feeling that Spain are destined to reach the final cannot be overlooked. In Euro 2008 La Roja faced nemesis Italy in the quarter-finals and won on penalties. It was that win that thrust a sense of belief and self-conviction into them: Spain went on to win the European Championships and create history. This time too there is a sense of destiny: Spain did reach the last four in the 1950 World Cup group climax but this is the first time that they have reached the semi-final.

Furthermore, in 2008 Rafael Nadal won Wimbledon for the first time in his career whilst Spain won Euro 2008. Two years later Nadal has won Wimbledon again. This again, as some would suggest, is an omen.

FORM GUIDE

Germany

 
Spain

 
Argentina 0-4 Germany Paraguay 0-1 Spain
Germany 4-1 England Spain 1-0 Portugal
Ghana 0-1 Germany Chile 1-2 Spain
Germany 0-1 Serbia Spain 2-0 Honduras
Germany 4-0 Australia Spain 0-1 Switzerland
TEAM NEWS

Germany

Coach Joachim Loew will be without the services of Thomas Mueller, who is suspended; Toni Kroos could come in for Mueller on the right. Brazil-born striker Cacau is available for the clash with Spain, although he has been struggling with an injury lately. Midfielder Sami Khedira too has been struggling with a thigh problem, but he will make the start against the European champions on Wednesday.

Probable Line-up (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Lahm, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Boateng; Khedira, Schweinsteiger; Kroos, Oezil, Podolski; Klose

Spain

Centre-back Raul Albiol is still injured and will sit out the match against Germany. Other than that, there are no problems for coach Vicente del Bosque. However, the former Real Madrid trainer will have to make the tough decision of dropping Fernando Torres from the starting line-up. The Liverpool striker has been in disappointing form in the World Cup and is expected to be replaced by either David Silva or Cesc Fabregas.

Probable Line-up (4-2-3-1): Casillas, Ramos, Pique, Puyol, Capdevila; Busquets, Alonso; Iniesta, Xavi, Silva; Villa
PLAYERS TO WATCH

Germany

Bastian Schweinsteiger. The 25-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder was chosen as Goal.com’s Player of the Week ahead of the Netherlands’ Wesley Sneijder and Spain’s David Villa for his Colossus-like performance against Argentina, a match in which Germany did everything right from start to finish and won 4-0.

Schweinsteiger, placed 143rd in Castrol Rankings, is a complete midfielder who can combine defensive ability with forward pushes. With Spain lacking a truly world class defensive midfielder who can break the opposition’s moves single-handedly, the Real Madrid target will be eager to dominate the midfield and bully and overrun the opposition in the middle of the park.

Spain

David Villa. There is no doubt that the newly signed Barcelona striker has been the best and most crucial player for the European champions in the World Cup. Villa, placed ninth in the Castrol Rankings, has scored five goals and is the tournament’s top goalscorer; he also set up Spain’s only other goal in the competition. The former Valencia forward’s runs and ability to shoot from everywhere will come in handy as the German defence is susceptible against fast-running world class forwards.
PREDICTION

It will be a very closely contested match and the key factor will be the first goal. If Spain concede first, then there will be a danger of them failing to bounce back as Germany are stronger and play with more pace.

The Castrol World Cup match predictor gives Spain a 60 per cent chance of winning the match while Germany are given 40 per cent. Indeed, it is a very tight call to make and with the ‘curse of Pele’ hanging over Vicente del Bosque’s side, they will have to encounter an ‘external factor’ as well. However, the European champions should just edge past the Germans.

Germany 0-1 Spain

You have to wonder quite what Germany need to do at this World Cup before they’re made favourites for a knockout game.

As the predictable but depressing ‘patriotic punt’ came on the morning of their last-16 game against England, Joachim Low’s men drifted out to 21/10 (England were 13/8). And we all know what happened there.

Six days later and Argentina were 13/10 favourites to beat them (and 4/7 to qualify). And we all know what happened there.

But after scoring four goals in back-to-back World Cup knockout games they’re still regarded as the outsiders pretty much across the board as they gear up for a semi-final clash with Spain.

Ladbrokes make it 5/6 each of two in their ‘to qualify’ market but every other firm favours the European champions, albeit only marginally.

And though you may say it contradicts the opening paragraph of this piece, I think it’s fair to say that taking a long view that’s understandable.

Asked before the tournament started to price up a possible Germany v Spain game it would have taken a brave man to make the latter the outsiders.

They came into the tournament on the back of just one defeat in their previous 48 matches and having shed the ‘nearly man’ tag at Euro 2008.

They did that, of course, by beating none other than Germany in the final.

But make no mistake about it, this is a different German team to that one – and the evidence so far in South Africa is it’s also a different Spain team.

While Germany have romped through their last two games to widespread acclaim, Vicente del Bosque’s men have rather stuttered their way to this stage with back-to-back 1-0 victories over Portugal and Paraguay.

Of course, the very fact they’re finding a way to win – particularly while Fernando Torres is well short of his best – is a tribute to their determination.

And in David Villa they have the odds-on favourite for the Golden Boot.

But as good as the likes of Villa and Andres Iniesta have been so far, Spain are yet to really click into gear here, while Germany have – but for their slip-up against Serbia – swept aside everything that has been put in front of them.

Though Thomas Muller will be a big miss for them in this one, there’s plenty of goals in their line-up, particularly up front where Miroslav Klose has once again gone from domestic toiler to world-class international frontman.

Of course there’s a danger Spain click here – poor teams generally don’t reach the World Cup semi-finals – but we kept saying that about England and all the momentum coming into this one is with Germany.

Hills have cut their odds to qualify to 10/11 after heavy backing, including a 75,000 euro single, but there’s still plenty of evens available. Get on.

Verdict: Germany 2 Spain 1

Spain will finally be playing a team in Germany that does not fear them and will not be afraid to attack. I think Spain will welcome this very much. It is certainly frustrating and exhausting to have to display extreme patience, which in my opinion Spain has done very well. While they have been victorious in every match since their shock defeat at the hands at the Swiss, they haven’t been lighting up any scoreboards. The Spanish midfield had been extremely efficient, controlling much of the ball and David Villa had been their savior, the man who has been able to score on a consistent basis. While the performance from Torres has been awfully disappointing thus far, Spain still possesses tremendous riches in their attack.

Germany has been a big surprise to many, especially the staggering goal totals they have been able to put up. While the loss of Muller will certainly be felt, the play of Ozil, Podalski and Klose have all been very impressive. It was amazing to watch the Germans dismantle Argentina so easily, especially how easily they managed to score goal after goal.

While Germany has been tremendous offensively, they’ve been almost as impressive defensively. Meanwhile, Spain are no slouches themselves in the defensive department and Casillas has made some gorgeous saves. I suppose that is why the price is so good on the over here. While these are two of the most impressive offensive teams in the world, they both have been strong defensively as well.

I just really feel this game should turn out to be a very entertaining match and Spain might find a little more space to attack here after enduring the “we know we’re inferior and so we aren’t going to allow you to pound our keeper with shot after shot at all costs” approach that both Portugal and Paraguay have taken.

Bottom line is their is going to be a TON of offensively skilled players on the pitch on Wednesday, even with the absence of Muller. Ozil, Podalski, Klose, Villa, Torres, Iniesta, Fabergas, Silva, Schweinsteiger, etc, etc….

As far as a winner? I think it’s a mystery. In all honesty, nothing would really shock me. Nothing except a low scoring affair. I definitely think we’ll see some goals here…..I’ve learned my lesson, I won’t promise to chop a finger off or swim across the Atlantic Ocean if I lose, but I feel very confident on this match yielding 3+ goals….Best of luck..

Pick : Over 2.5 Goals