United States and Germany are facing on Thursday at the
Arena stadium in Recife Pernambuco a game of emotions, spicy encounters and
pure tension, as both teams qualifying for knockout stages are played.
Both teams lead their group with four points and options
are as follows: The team that gets the victory wins Group G, while whoever
loses should pray for a draw between Ghana and Portugal or prevail on goal
difference to advance. A draw, meanwhile, would secure the ticket to the next
phase and Germany would both first group.
That is because those led by Joachim Low are a little more
comfortable that the U.S. situation, as their goal difference is +4 and the
U.S. is +1. The Ghanaian is -1 and Portugal is -4, so if Germany loses by one
goal, the Lusitanian would have to win seven African and four to eliminate it.
The Americans will be without their striker Jozy Altidore
(contracture) for the second straight game, so it seems that Jurgen Klinsmann
would employ a 4-5-1 formation similar to that used in the 2-2 against Portugal
on Sunday, Clint Dempsey as a lone striker.
In Germany all eyes are on Miroslav Klose, the author of
the second goal in the 2-2 draw against Ghana on Saturday that aims to become
the top scorer in World Cup history. Klose currently shares the record with
Brazilian Ronaldo with 15 goals, but another goal would make him the sole owner
of that distinction.
U.S. could get to make history as it has never qualified
for the knockout stages in consecutive world, while Germany has not been absent
from the second phase of the World Cup since 1938.
This game also has an additional ingredient, as Klinsmann
played three World Cups, won one in 1990 with West Germany and then led his
country to the semifinals of the World Cup as hosts in 2006. However, this time
the story is found in across the street as U.S. coach and facing Löw, who used
to be his assistant coach in 2006 and then succeeded him as head of the German
team.
