The World Cup quarter finals kick off today, with France taking on Germany and Brazil going up against Colombia. If you’d like to watch or listen to the match online, we’ve got all the details below.
France Vs Germany
The France Vs Germany game kicks off at 12:00 ET (17:00 BST), and live coverage can be found on the BBC and ESPN (subscription required). Live audio can be found online on ESPN and the BBC, and US listeners can tune-in to local ESPN Affiliate station for radio coverage.
These two teams are traditionally among the strongest European sides, and they’ve both put in a good showing in this tournament so far. It promises to be a tight game and both teams will have to play their best if they want a place in the semi finals.
France has a problem in the form of defender Raphael Varane, who had to spend the night in hospital for dehydration following their 2-0 win over Nigeria. It is unclear if he will be available for tonight’s match.
Germany have their own defensive problems though, and they run deeper than a single defender.
German keeper Manuel Neuer was piled with praise following the Algeria game, and earned the nickname “the sweeper keeper”. As good a performance as it was, his heroics well outside the area highlight a serous problem with the German back four.
At times the backline was so high as to be almost non-existent, and only luck combined with Neuer’s skill prevented the Algerians punishing them for it. If the German defense plays a similar game tonight then it will almost certainly cost them.
I predict a narrow win for France, 1-0 at full time.
Brazil Vs Colombia
The hosts play Colombia at 16:00 ET (21:00 BST), with the game available on ITV and ESPN (subscription required). As with the previous game, ESPN and the BBC have got live audio commentary available and your local ESPN Affiliate station has radio coverage in the USA.
The pressure on hosts Brazil is immense, and so far it’s been a tough competition for them.
Their group matches saw them struggle to a 0-0 draw against Mexico, a match that raised serious questions about the teams quality. They then faced a terrifyingly tense match against Chile, only winning after penalties.
The only bright spot for the Brazilian’s so far has been the performance of their star striker Neymar, but it remains to be seen if the efforts of one man can pull them through.
Colombia on the other hand have had a good run of form in this competition, winning all their group matches and then ejecting Uruguay from the tournament.
While some will argue that Uruguay were an easier proposition than normal after the expulsion of striker Luis Suarez, Colombia put in a solid performance and looked good as a team.
If Brazil can find some form then they should be able to win this, but then few would have predicted such a struggle against Chile.
I predict a win for Brazil, 2-1 after full time.
Let us know your predictions in the comments below!
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