If Ghana and Portugal draw their own Group G finale then both the US and Germany will go through to the next round. If Ghana win by more than two goals, or they win by one goal in a high-scoring contest, and the US lose, Ghana will advance (and will probably do some dancing). If Portugal win, they will have to do so by five goals to erase their goal
differential and take second place.
After thumping the Portuguese 4-0 in their first game, the Germans were taken to task by Ghana in a dramatic 2-2 draw. Die Mannschaft looked sluggish and shaky in midfield, and Philipp Lahm, who usually plays right back but was fielded as a holding midfielder, committed a terrible turnover to gift the Ghanaians their first goal.
After introducing midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and striker Miroslav Klose, Germany settled down and put in an equalizer. Germany’s coaching staff have dismissed the idea of changing things up too much, but you have to wonder if that’s just a bluff. In the build-up to the US game against Germany, Klinsmann is a legend in Germany, helping his country win a World Cup as a player and guiding them to the 2006 semifinals as a coach, and he is credited with much of the international success the Germans have experienced since 2006 . With a win against Germany, Klinsmann can begin to replicate that success with the US.
Current Germany head coach Joachim Law was Klinsmann’s assistant coach at the 2006 World Cup, and according to some was the man pulling the tactical strings behind the scene. Whether or not that’s true, there will be no secrets between the two coaches when they face off on Thursday, and it will be fascinating to see the kinds of moves each makes to try and rattle the other. I expect both teams to cancel each others goals here before maybe a winner can emerge.
Verdict : Both teams to score
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