by Tom Allen
A simply brilliant day of World Cup action in store on Sunday and it all gets
underway when Germany take on England in Bloemfontein.
The two old rivals meet in the last 16 having arrived in extremely different
ways at the knockout stage and it is certainly a tough one to call. That said,
it should be end-to-end stuff throughout and I expect there to be goals.
Germany were the side everybody was talking about during the first week in
South Africa following their 4-0 demolition of Australia but they were, perhaps,
flattered by that result and were beaten by Serbia next time out.
That 1-0 defeat was harsh on Germany, who were still the better side even
when Miroslav Klose saw red, and they were in relative cruise control in their
final Group D match when triumphing 1-0 over Ghana to secure top spot.
Klose will return, presumably, for the clash with the Three Lions but it is a
youthful midfield that England will have to be alert to if they are to succeed
and Lukas Podolski, in particular, has looked very lively at these finals.
Joachim Low has an abundance of talent to pick from in the middle, despite
Michael Ballack's absence through injury, and Mesut Ozil is another that has
been catching the eye.
Ozil, the Werder Bremen playmaker, has been all the rage and capped a
terrific performance versus the Black Stars with the winning strike from long
distance.
It will be interesting to see how the likes of Ozil and Podolski fair against
the more experienced duo of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard and it is certainly
a clash of styles.
Gerrard, England's standout player so far in South Africa, is now getting
back to somewhere near his best but it remains to be seen whether the Liverpool
man will be asked to play on the left side of a diamond or in a more central
role.
Fabio Capello, it is assumed, will keep faith with the same eleven that beat
Slovenia 1-0 on Wednesday, Jermaine Defoe proving the goal scoring hero, but the
Italian may be tempted to recall Jamie Carragher at the back.
Carragher missed the Slovenia match through suspension but Matthew Upsom
deputised more than ably and I would stick with the West Ham man.
With a place in the quarterfinals at stake, this is bound to be a nervous 90
minutes for all fans involved but it's one in which England, so readily
dismissed as likely World Cup winners, can triumph.
Wayne Rooney, out of sorts in the finals so far, must surely come alive at
some point but it should not be forgotten that England have other match-winners
elsewhere and the 5/6 about them advancing appeals.
A low-key start at a major tournament does not always equal ultimate
disappointment and England will be hoping to continue the trend.
2pts Back England To Qualify (vs. Germany) @ 5/6 (888sport)
