Germany to make history by beating Italy

The current Germany team has what it takes to beat Italy for the first time in a competitive match and reach the Euro 2012 final without requiring extra time and/or penalties.

The Italians were good value, both betting and performance wise, for their quarter-final victory over the English but that was because Roy Hodgson`s side were very limited.

England failed to impose itself on Italy in Kyiv. Wayne Rooney did not drop back to pick up Andrea Pirlo, James Milner and Ashley Young got sucked into the congested central area and Hodgson did not make the tactical adjustments necessary to stem the heavy bleeding.

Consequently, Pirlo dictated terms, completing 131 passes when no English player got to 50, and the Italians had 39 shots - 12 of them on target - in the two hours of action.

Pirlo received rave reviews for his performance and rightly so because he was superb. But surely the Germans are going to make life considerably more difficult for the 33-year-old Juventus playmaker, particularly if Bastian Schweinsteiger is passed fit to play in midfield for the favourites.

Germany has been the team of the tournament so far, emerging from the Group of Death with a 100 per cent record following victories over Denmark, Portugal and the Netherlands and then demolishing Greece 4-2 in the quarter-finals.

What is so impressive about the Germans is their tactical versatility. Joachim Low is one of the smartest coaches operating at Euro 2012 and the players under his control have been consistently excellent at adhering to his game plans, which have differed markedly from match to match.

Low will have watched Italy`s recent games and devised shrewd tactics to put Germany on the front foot. The former Stuttgart boss deserves huge credit for the way that he has revolutionised the national team`s style, a total overhaul that prompted Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque to say that never had he seen a better football-playing Germany side.

The Germans are around the 10-11 mark to qualify for their seventh European Championship final by beating the Italians in normal time. They make more appeal at odds on than the Spaniards did in their semi-final versus the Portuguese.

For while Germany has carried all before it in Poland and Ukraine, Italy has beaten only one team in 90 minutes and that was Ireland, who was out of the tournament when the sides met in the third and final round of Group C games.

Also, it is worth noting that the Italians have scored only one goal from open play during the competition, which speaks volumes about the wastefulness of their frontline strikers.

If the 10-11 about the Germans winning in normal time does not float your boat, consider a couple of correct-score punts on them. Splitting your stakes on 1-0 and 2-0 wins results in a potential payout of approximately 5-2.

It is difficult to see the tie being full of goals given what is at stake but bookmakers have worked out that and offer around 8-13 about the under 2.5 goals option.

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27/06/2012     © Frixo 2026