England Germany Betting – Sunday, 10:00 AM ET
The Three Lions managed to make it through to the knockout round with a 1-0 win over Slovenia in their final group match, with Jermain Defoe netting the only goal. England probably could have won more convincingly, but they played easily their best match of the tournament so far, and that should breed confidence. We're still waiting for Wayne Rooney to break out as the striker has looked a shadow of his former self, along with Frank Lampard, while Steven Gerrard and Defoe carried the attack against Slovenia. Those who write a World Cup blog gave England a good shot of being a serious threat to win in South Africa, but this isn't the team that romped through qualification, and they're going to need to step their game up against the Germans.
The Team got a goal from Mesut Ozil in a 1-0 win over Ghana, but like England, the Germans didn't play their best. Lukas Podolski has struggled since the 4-0 rout of Australia in the World Cup opener, but at least they'll have Miroslav Klose back as the striker missed the Ghana match because of suspension. The Germans have a couple of injury worries heading into this crucial encounter as midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger and Jerome Boateng are both listed as doubtful. Losing Schweinsteiger would be the bigger loss for the Germans as he's stepped in the role filled by captain Michael Ballack, who missed the World Cup due to injury. Schweinsteiger is arguably Germany's most influential player, and he'll be missed if he can't suit up.
Soccer betting odds have the Three Lions as a +160 favorite in this massive match, with the Germans coming in at +175, and a draw is rated at +210. England has 12 wins and five draws in their 27 matches against the Germans, and they may have some more motivation as German legend Franz Beckenbauer has been tossing little barbs at their style of play, and he also said that England were "stupid" to finish second in their group, which left them to face the Germans. But England gained some confidence in their last match, and manager Fabio Capello will have them fired up. If Schweinsteiger is out, that means the English will have a major advantage in midfield and that will allow them to cut off the supply to Podolski and Klose. In what should be another matchup for the ages, take England in your betting picks on Sunday.
