The 2014 FIFA World Cup is just a week away and the match ups in the group elimination rounds are as intriguing as ever especially in Group G which has been dubbed by analysts as "Group Death" because of its high profile teams. In this summer's Group Death match ups, nothing can be more exciting than the one between Germany and Portugal.
Germany, ranked as the number 2 best football team in the world by FIFA, is looking to make a deep run in this year's tournament and many predict that they will see Brazil in the finals. The Germans blitzed their way through their qualifying games, only dropping points in a mind-boggling 4-4 draw with Sweden in a game in which they led 4-0 before Sweden rallied back. They went undefeated and made 36 goals in just 10 games - that's an average of 3.6 goals per game.
The Germans' formidable offensive display can be attributed with their free-flowing 4-2-3-1 style of play with Bastian Schweinsteiger as the back bone and Sami Khedira anchoring the side from the base of midfield. Leading the charge is the the dynamic Mesut Ozil, who is often flanked by two lethal weapons in Marco Reus and Thomas Muller. Overall, Germany possesses solid players in basically every position and an excellent blend of of forward-thinking midfielders.
Portugal, the number 3 ranked team by FIFA, is looking to at least replicate their performance in the 2012 EUFA Championship where they reached the semi-finals of the tournament. For them to beat the Germans and make a deep run in this year's World Cup, they must again rely heavily on the 2013 Ballon d'Or awardee and currently highest paid football player in the world, Christiano Ronaldo. Key players like Fabio Coentrao must also step up for them to succeed.
But with a player like Christiano Ronaldo in your team, the sky is the limit. And given his stellar performance against the German sides in recent meetings, Portuguese fans may be in for a great ride. Players like Pepe and Joao Moutinho also provide Portugal a strong spine but without a premiere striker, still, in their line-up, they will need every ounce of scoring from Ronaldo.
Overall, the German squad are favored to win over the Portuguese when they meet on June 16 2014 at Arena Fonte Nova Salvador, Brazil. However, with CR47 leading the Portuguese offense, anything is absolutely possible.
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