The World Cup semifinals are live with Brazil and Germany on the schedule Tuesday and the game is live from Estádio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte on Univision, ESPN Radio and WatchESPN online starting at 4 pm ET and the host nation will be without Neymar as they try to win their fifth title and this matchup has the two overall favorites from the beginning of the tourney.
Brazil has been the top team in this tournament since the start and now they are playing against Germany in the top matchup overall in the entire tournament. The Germans were looked at as favorites when the groups were drawn out and now Brazil has the hopes of their nation on their backs as they try and move into the finals to get in position to win their fifth Cup. The German side has now been through to the semis in three straight tournaments and this will be one of the toughest matchups they have faced and this is also a rematch of the 2002 finals, which was won by Brazil.
Germany emerged out of the group of death with the United States over Portugal and Ghana and now they will try and deliver on the championship promise of the team with Thomas Muller leading the way. Muller is one of the leading scorers in the tournament and he comes in looking to help his team through, while Neymar will be out with an injury and that will make things very tough for the host nation to get things done. The team is deep and they can recover, but he is by far their best player and his dynamic skills now will be out for the rest of the World Cup even if the team makes it to the final.
Germany has not played their "best" game yet in the knockout stage and they likely will need it here against Brazil, who was considered the overall favorite heading into the knockouts before Neymar was injured. Germany has the firepower and the depth to win, but Brazil is more dynamic and athletic even without Neymar and now both sides will try and get to the finals against the winner of Netherlands and Argentina. The Dutch are looking for their second straight finals appearance, while Lionel Messi is trying to lead Argentina to their first finals since winning the whole thing last time for the nation.
The Brazilian team and the German side know what history is at stake, as the host nation has not lost a game at home in international play for years and that dates back to 1975. The teams also know that no European nation has won the Cup on South American soil and that adds even more pressure on Argentina as well as the Netherlands. Brazil was furious about Neymar getting injured, but they now will have to play without him and the nation could explode potentially if they lose.
Check here for the Brazil and Germany live coverage from the World Cup.
