Brazil and Germany are nations which can be described as having the same differences not least when it comes to their national Football teams. The match between Brazil and Germany is an intriguing one which both nations need to win because their countries expect them to. However, the reason for the expectation of victory is what differentiates the hope both teams are propelling.
For Germany it's a case of making up for previous tournaments where the general consensus was that they should have done better and no game epitomised this sentiment more than Germany's defeat against Spain in the 2010 World Cup.
Then there was the devastating defeat at the hands of an incredibly impassable Italian side at German's own home World Cup in 2006. So no other country better understands the pressure that Brazil is under than Germany. Germany's ability to empathise with the tall ask Brazil have in front of them is both an advantage and disadvantage for Germany. It is an advantage in the sense that Germany know that they can go and play their football without the same sense of intoxicating pressure which Brazil have and with all their star players in tow.
However, this diminished sense of pressure ahead of the game could prove to be Germany's downfall given their performances in their last four consecutive semi-finals which have all ended in defeat despite their impressive squads and convincing victories in the run up to each respective semi- final.
Germany's inability to progress beyond the semi-finals at recent World Cups has left their players and home nation with agonisingly unfilled expectations which must not happen yet again. Happily there are signs that Joachim Low's side may have what it takes to become the first European team to win a World Cup on South American soil.
As the tournament has progressed Germany have shown an unprecedented array of play - from attacking finesse to occasional defensive vulnerabilities - which saw them overcome an impressive French side in order to journey to Belo Horizonte where they face the formidable force of nature that is Brazil's home support and a Brazilian team who have to win this World Cup in order to justify it's country's controversial decision to host the tournament despite protests over the economic and political corruption surrounding their government.
The fraught tension over the protests leading up to and during the World Cup has been superseded by the sensational passion and fervour which Brazil's fans have shown for their team. Brazil's players are riding a wave of emotion towards what they believe is their ultimate triumph and destiny - winning a record sixth World Cup in their own country. But standing in the way of Brazil's destiny is a German team that has kept three clean sheets which is more than any other team at this World Cup. Germany also believes that they can win the World Cup especially if they are to vindicate the praise they have received for their progress together as a squad which Low observed in a press conference ahead of the match "We have no titles yet as a team.
Titles are marvellous and our players, mainly from Bayern Munich, have already won many. That is important for them, something special, but for us first and foremost it is a matter of playing the semi-final, which is going to be difficult."
Low's comments may come as a surprise to some because the Brazil side which Germany face are undoubtedly not one of the best to have graced the famous yellow and green shirts but their fanatical home support mixed with the raw passion and talent which players like David Luiz embody could carry these Brazilian players all the way to glory in the ardent atmosphere of the Maracanã.
