Germany face Brazil in in a friendly game at Olympiastadion in Berlin in their next preparation game and will be up against their old rivals from South America for the first time after the famous 1-7 win at Belo Horizonte on 8 July 2014.
But before going into details where the German heroes from 2014 are, let’s take a look what we can expect from the upcoming game in Berlin.
Preview
Rotation is expected for those players who didn’t start in the draw with Spain on Friday, with Joachim Löw hoping to test his entire squad during these penultimate friendlies before the World Cup. Mario Gomez or Sandro Wagner will probably start against Brazil after RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner played 84 minutes against Spain. Two players who won’t be in Berlin are Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller and Arsenal’s Mesut Özil, who have both left the squad after starting in Dusseldorf against Spain. Bayern midfielder Sebastian Rudy has returned to the squad following the birth of his first child, and replaces Sami Khedira, who picked up a knock against Spain and left to join his club Juventus in Italy.
Brazil will be without Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar, who is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after receiving an injury in a league game against Marseille in February. The five-time world champions beat Russia 3-0 on Friday, and should rotate for Tuesday’s game. That means Juventus’ Douglas Costa could be on the bench together with Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino and Barcelona’s Phillipe Coutinho might be rested after impressing in the game against Russia.
Probable line-ups
Germany: Leno, Kimmich, Boateng, Süle, Plattenhardt, Gündogan, Kroos, Brandt, Goretzka, Sane – Wagner
Brazil: Alisson, Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Marcelo, Renato Augusto, Casemiro, Paulinho, Bernard, Firmino, Willian
Match stats
- Die Mannschaft won all ten games in reaching the 2018 FIFA World Cup, becoming only the second team to achieve a 100 per cent qualifying record.
- They also broke the record for the most goals scored in a tournament qualification campaign (43).
- Low’s side tore Brazil apart on the way to winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup, their 7-1 semi-final win one of the most remarkable results in tournament history.
The last time Germany played Brazil… pic.twitter.com/LOppqqW4bC
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 27, 2018
- Germany was beaten by Brazil in the final of the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo scoring both goals in a 2-0 victory for the Selecao.
- Goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mario Götze and Andre Schürrle earned Germany a 3-2 win over Brazil in the teams’ most recent friendly encounter, in August 2011.
- Germany sit first place in the FIFA World Rankings, with Brazil currently second.
Brazil – Germany 1-7 – Where are they now?
When they stepped onto the pitch at the Estadio Mineirao the 11 Germany players in Joachim Löw’s side know that they were about to create FIFA World Cup history, tearing hosts Brazil and their dreams to shreds in a mind-blowing 7-1 demolition. Brazilian tears will remain in football’s folklore and will be seen as one of biggest shocks ever.
Die Nationalmannschaft would go on to lift their fourth World Cup five days later, with a nail-biting extra-time win over Argentina, but it is that extraordinary semi-final demolition of the Seleção that will forever be associated with their famous triumph.
- Manuel Neuer – had little to do in this demolition and it’s easy to forget that he featured. The statistics do not lie though, with Brazil having 13 shots on target with the Germans only managing 12. His furious reaction when Oscar finally netted a last-minute consolation will remain iconic. Widely considered the best goalkeeper in the world ever since, Neuer remains regular for Bayern Munich and Germany, although he has been out of action for most of the season with a foot injury. Currently he is captain for both club and country, and the 31-year-old is now racing to be fit for this summer’s showpiece in Russia.
- Phillip Lahm – earned himself a place in the golden pages of German footballing greats as he captained Die Mannschaft to World Cup glory in Brazil, following in the footsteps of Fritz Walter (1954), Franz Beckenbauer (1974) and Lothar Matthäus (1990). The Bayern captain provided two assists in the semi-final win before hanging up his international boots at the end of the tournament. He played a further three seasons for boyhood club Bayern, before retiring in May 2017 with over 500 senior appearances and 21 titles to his name. Now the 34-year-old is set to attend at least one Germany game in Russia as part of a German’s camp.
- Jerome Boateng & Mats Hummels – both still playing for Bayern as Hummels joined from Dortmund in the summer of 2016 and forming one of the best centre-back partnerships in Europe. Hummels was substituted by Per Mertesacker at half-time, with Germany already winning 5-0. Boateng added three more Bundesliga titles and a DFB Cup to his impressive trophy collection since the 2014 World Cup, the 29-year-old was voted Germany’s Footballer of the Year in 2016, and was also included in the UEFA Team of the Year. Both players are gunning for glory this year as Bundesliga, DFB Cup and UEFA Champions League treble aspirations continue.
- Benedikt Höwedes – was one of four players to play every minute of the 2014 World Cup for Germany, along with Neuer, Lahm and Toni Kroos. He spent most of his club career in Schalke, but opted for a new challenge as he joined Juventus on loan. He has just played 68 minutes this term in Seria A, so his chances to be on the plane to Russia remain doubtful.
- Sami Khedira – scored Germany’s fifth goal before being subbed by Julian Draxler in the second half. After winning the Champions League with Real Madrid, he moved to Italians giants Juventus where he won back-to-back league and cup doubles. He remains part of Löw’s side at the age of 30.
- Bastian Schweinsteiger – the heart of the cup-winning side, Bastian played last season at his boyhood team Bayern – winning 8 titles, before moving to Manchester United and Chicago Fire in USA.
- Thomas Müller – opened the rampage in the famous 7-1 win. He won another 3 titles since the 2014 World Cup and earned his 400th senior appearance for Bayern recently. Oh yes, and there’s also the small matter that Müller has scored 10 World Cup goals to date, meaning he’ll have half an eye on breaking Klose’s tournament record of 16.
- Toni Kroos – if the world didn’t knew about Kroos’s prospects, then after this World Cup everyone knew. e set up Müller for the opener and scored twice himself in the 7-1 victory, finishing the World Cup with more assists than anyone else (four). He signed for Real Madrid later that summer and has gone on to lift two Champions League titles with the Spanish giants.
- Mesut Özil – the gifted playmaker assisted for Khedira’s goal against Brazil and remains one of the first names on Löw’s team sheet in Germany’s big games. We will see him again in Russia this summer.
- Miroslav Klose – he outscore Ronaldo and it’s up to now the most goalscoring player in the history of the World Cup, like Lahm he decided to retire after the 2014 tournament. He played on club level till 2016 for Lazio.
- Andre Schürrle – talking about super sub – what about this guy’s impact. Schürrle started on the bench in Belo Horizonte but came on to play a starring role. Replacing Klose just before the hour mark, he added Germany’s last two goals – before going on to set up Mario Götze for the all-important winner against Argentina in the final. He played in Chelsea before returning home in Wolsburg and now playing for Borussia Dortmund.
If you need betting advice you can always count on WhaleBets. Read our in-depth betting strategies and don’t hesitate to contact us.
