The sport of soccer is a crazy, crazy thing; and trying to predict what is going to happen is usually very tough. When Algeria steps onto the pitch with Germany in Porto Alegre on Monday, everyone in the world outside of Algeria, has a distinct idea of what the outcome will be.
After the 4-0 slaughter of Portugal, Germany did not look at their best against Ghana and the US. That being said, Germany not at their “best” is still better than most teams, at their “best.” I see this game going in one direction, and that direction will be towards the Algerian goal. Germany will most likely hold a fair amount of possession against the African side, it will just come down to whether or not they take advantage of their chances. The one major flaw in the German side continues to be on their back line though.
If the Algerians do find a way into this game they will have to try and exploit the shakiness of the German defense. The “Fennec Foxes” do have players on their team that can dazzle individually as their skill on the ball was on full display in their game against Korea.
They will surely have to play a counterattacking game trying to press the Germans into making a mistake in the midfield. The problem is that the German midfield is probably the best in the world. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos and Philipp Lahm will most likely all feature in the starting XI; which makes the Algerian’s job that much harder.
Thomas Mueller will be the danger man once again for Germany (4 goals), so don’t be surprised if you see his name on goal-sheet at the end of the game. It is a very tall task for the Algerians, one that is close to improbable. But we have seen some crazy things happen in this tournament, and who knows if this game will be added to the list.
My prediction: Germany wins 3-1
Betting odds courtesy of Bovada.lv:
Germany: -1½ (-120) // -400 Moneyline
Algeria: +1½ (Even) // +1100 Moneyline
Draw +500
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