World Cup: Germany vs. Italy

Gary Lineker's famous quote that "football is a simple game — 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win" usually is right on point, except for one notable exception. And that team happens to be the roadblock between Germany and the final.

Italy has never lost to Germany in the World Cup. In fact, the last time Italy took home the title, it was Germany they beat, in the 1982 final.

Germany and Italy have some recent history, as well. On March 1st earlier this year, the Azzurri ran rupshot over the Germans, thrashing the World Cup hosts by a 4-1 count. This humiliating loss brought much skepticism to the Juergen Klinsmann regime, including several higher ups that called for the German coaches' resignation.

Klinsmann though was quick to note that that game was in Florence. Tuesday's match is in Dortmund, and as Klinsmann likes to point out, he has yet to lose a game in the friendly confines of Germany.

If styles do indeed make for great matchups, this game promises to be an absolute delight. Germany will be at their enthusiastic best, wanting to play an up-tempo game to satisfy the demands of their fans. They will feed off that energy to push the Italians all game long.

Surprisingly, in their last game against Argentina, Germany chose to sit back and let the South Americans dominate possession, as long as the bulk of it didn't take place in the German end of the field.

Much of that philosophy was based on the notion that Argentina was technically superior to Germany, and as long as the men in blue were content to knock it around amongst themselves in a non-threatening manner, the hosts were more than willing to let them do it.

The Italians though are almost the complete opposite of the Argentines. The Azzurri continue to implore the catenaccio, as evidenced by every game in this tournament with the possible exception of their last match.

Catenaccio, or "door-bolt," emphasizes a tight defense and carefully selected counter-attacks. Therefore, the bulk of the game should be played in the Italian end of the field.

Italy manager Marcello Lippi might decide to make a change though. He could opt to surprise everyone and take the game to the Germans, much as Mexico did to Argentina in the Round of 16. Italy has the personnel to do it, which they proved in Florence last March.

Another thing working in Italy's favor is the absence of Torsten Frings. The defensive midfielder is expected to be replaced by the more offensive-minded Tim Borowski, making Francesco Totti the beneficiary. The Italian midfield maestro will look to expose the weakness Frings leaves in the midfield, and Totti is a dangerous man when given space, something Germany will have to be aware of.

Lippi though will probably stick with his conservative ways and try to use the Germans' aggressiveness against them. This strategy could backfire, though, and with the way Germany is playing, coupled with their home crowd advantage and their strikers' form, it will be too much for Italy to overcome.