For the third time in the history of the most illustrious competition in football, if not World Sport, Germany and Argentina will meet in the Final. These two teams are meeting each other for the third time in a row as well, with Germany having won on penalties in the quarterfinal in 2006 and 4-0 in the quarterfinal of 2010.
As far as the Finals are concerned, Argentina won the one in 1986 and Germany won the one in 1990. Neither country has lifted a World Cup since, with Germany coming close on many more occasions than they would perhaps like to admit. They played in the semifinals of each World Cup between 2002 and 2014 and have reached the final on two occasions (2002 and 2014).
Injury concerns, as always, somewhat dictate the news ahead of kick off. There are slight doubts over Javier Mascherano but he is set to start. Sergio Aguero might not be fully fit yet to go ninety minutes. Angel Di Maria might not make it in time. For Germany, Shkodran Mustafi is out of the tournament with injury. There were question marks over Mats Hummels following his substitution against Brazil but he seems fit enough to be able to start the Final.
Germany is set to employ a 4-2-3-1 formation which, in truth, is a fluid 4-5-1. Toni Kroos, who is supposed to sit in the hole behind the striker, interchanges his position with that of the two defensive midfielders, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira. Khedira was the player who moved furthest forward at times amongst the trio against Brazil while Schweinsteiger sat in front of the back four.
Argentina is set to employ a 4-3-3- formation with Lionel Messi considered, at least on paper, the middle man of the front three. However, Messi has dropped deep in almost every match to collect the ball and dribble past many players to either score himself or set up goal scoring chances for his team mates. He could be the difference maker and thus, the center of attention, in the heartland of Brazilian football culture.
A new World Champion is set to be crowned soon.
Germany vs Argentina line-ups:
Germany's First XI: Neuer, Howedes, Hummels, Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Ozil, Klose, Muller, Lahm (c), Kroos, Boateng
Argentina's First XI: Romero, Garay, Zabaleta, Biglia, Perez, Higuain, Messi (c), Mascherano, Demichelis, Rojo, Lavezzi
Where to watch the match: Live Streams, Live Scores, Start Times, TV Channels:
Watch Germany vs Argentina live on Sunday, July 13, 2014:
In the US at 15.00 EST on:
- On TV: ESPN Deportes, Univision Deportes USA, ABC, Univision USA
- Online & Apps:ESPN Deportes+, ESPN3 Online-App, Univision Deportes En Vivo, WATCH ABC, WATCH ESPN
- Audio / Radio: ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPN Radio, Futbol de Primera Radio, SiriusXM FC
In Canada at 15.00 ET on:
- On TV: CBC, Mediaset Italia, Univision Canada, TLN
- Online & Apps: CBC Sports Live Streaming, ICI Radio-Canada En Direct,
- Audio / Radio: TSN 690 Montreal, TSN 1200 Ottawa, TEAM 1410 Vancouver, TSN 1050 Toronto, TSN 1290 Winnipeg, TSN 1260 Edmonton, Radio Canada - CBC
In the UK at 20.00 BST on:
- On TV: BBC One UK, BBC Red Button, ITV 1 UK, UTV, STV Scotland
- Online & Apps: The BBC iPlayer, The ITV Player
- Audio / Radio: BBC Radio 5 Live, TalkSport Radio
In Australia at 05:00 (Monday) on:
- On TV: SBS One Australia
- Audio / Radio: SBS Radio 3, SBS Radio 4
For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the Germany vs Argentina match page.
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