The World Cup Quarterfinals begin today when Germany takes on France in the opening matchup. The contest is scheduled for a 12:00 p.m. (EST) start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Currently the odds for the match have Germany as a small favorite to win this one.
All eight Group stage winners made the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Two of the best teams in the world will meet up in this one with the Germans listed as a small favorite over France to advance in the tournament. These two clubs have not met in the World Cup in 28 years.
Both teams wanted to win their groups, reach the quarterfinals and advance. This matchup seemed inevitable when the groups were announced and today we'll have the privilege of watching. We have to assume that with each club making it this far, they'll be able to play a wide open style of soccer, which should lead to a very good contest.
Germany has never failed to make the quarterfinals in the World Cup, so now their tournament can officially get underway. The Germans breezed through the group stage and were able to outlast 2-1 stoppage time victory over Algeria in the Round of 16. France will provide them with their toughest game yet, so we will see just how good Germany is today.
Both Karim Benzema and Thomas Muller have been scoring goals this World Cup and we're hopeful that will continue today. We're expecting both teams to play a faster game and for both to take advantage of the other team's miscues, if they happen.
This should be a close contest. It's arguably the best matchup so far in the World Cup and we're looking for a draw to occur in full time. Extra time is definitely a big possibility here and if the match happens to reach the penalty stage, we'd give the edge to Germany. But we like the Germans to win this one in stoppage time and advance to the final four.
Free Pick: Germany 2, France 1 in stoppage time
Golden Nugget Games Of The Year
Steve Fezzik from Pregame.com takes a look at some the games of the year that have been released by the Golden Nugget, along with some tips for handicapping them.
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