Argentina target Germany

Germany and Argentina have turned up the heat ahead of their World Cup quarter-final today.


Afp July 02, 2010

Germany and Argentina have turned up the heat ahead of their World Cup quarter-final today, with sparks flying high as both sides trade barbs. The two teams have an intense and long rivalry, with the Argentines beating Germany in the 1986 final before losing to them in the 1990 decider. More recently, they met at the same stage in 2006 with the German side going through 4-2 on penalties.

The coaches are different now but the desire of both teams to get their hands on the World Cup again has not changed. Diego Maradona, has stated clearly that revenge is on his mind for the 2006 defeat. “The players are thinking about going onto the pitch, in getting their revenge,” the former midfield maestro said. He added that they were confident of countering the current German threat.

Argentina though, has been hit by concern over the fitness of their star player Lionel Messi, who did not train on Thursday.

Argentina, along with the Netherlands, are the only countries left with a 100 per cent record in the tournament and striker Carlos Tevez said they do not fear Germany, who have not failed to reach the last-eight since 1938. “They are not better than Argentina,” said Tevez.

Germany, on the other hand, are confident, riding the impeccable victory wave against England. “There is a very positive feeling in the team. We have gained a lot of confidence from taking victory against England,” said the German coach, Joachim Loew. “We have found weaknesses in their [Argentina] side, but I will keep that information for my players.”

German captain Philipp Lahm has tried to step up the pressure on their quarter-final opponents by accusing them of being bad losers. “We know South Americans are impulsive and temperamental and cannot lose. We’ll see how they’ll lose and how they’ll behave after a defeat,” said Lahm.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3rd, 2010.

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