This Sunday afternoon will be livelier than your average Sunday, when youâÂÂre more likely to be laid out on a sofa nursing the effects of the night before. But not this weekend because come 3 oâÂÂclock the nation will be full of pride and hype as England take on the old enemy Germany in the World Cup knockout stages.
As soon as these two teams were drawn together it immediately threw up all the old clichés about the war, 1966 and of course penalty shootouts. There really isnâÂÂt another team that provokes the nation into a frenzy as much as the Germans.
This World Cup has thrown up plenty of shocks so far: both of the last tournament's finalists have gone home early in disgrace, the new ball is âÂÂrounderâ and most importantly Germany have missed a penalty. That miss from Lukas Podolski was the first time Germany have missed a penalty outside a shootout since the 1974 World Cup. Germany scoring penalties is one of the things youâÂÂd usually but your house on, there is hopeâ¦
Paddy Power are offering the best odds for an England win at 17/10 and here are the reasons for us all to believe they can beat Germany:
Not so âÂÂVorsprung durch Tecknikâ - This German side are clearly not as clinical and efficient as the German teams of yesteryear. Beating an understrength Australia and then losing to Serbia isnâÂÂt the mark of champions. The squad is young and around half of the squad are first- or second-generation immigrants â not that this is bad thing, but it remains to be seen how accustomed these players are to the stereotypical systematic Germanic approach.
Weak Links â The two German centre-backs are the weak links in the German side. Both lack pace and havenâÂÂt played together long enough to form an understanding. They will not relish the prospect of Jermain DefoeâÂÂs speed and the aggression of a fired-up Wayne Rooney.
Mind The Gap â The likes of Mesut Ozil and Bastian Schweinsteiger have too much flair to be your normal German footballer, they are key to their country's chances and will look to get forward as much as possible leaving big gaps in the midfield for England to exploit.
The Kaiser â Franz Beckenbauer has been unusually chippy about England during this World Cup. The usually quiet and reserved man is respected in the game for this feat of winning the World Cup as both a player and a coach however his comments about England being a âÂÂkick and rush teamâÂÂ, âÂÂStupid for finishing 2ndâ and âÂÂGerman players are fitter and England are burnt outâ have all but written Fabio CappelloâÂÂs team talk. It can only mean the Germans are nervous!
The Red Kit â The red jerseys brings back memories of 1966 and the retention of the all-red kit (as worn against Slovenia) is another good omen for England. In the last seven matches theyâÂÂve worn all red theyâÂÂve won four times, drawn twice and lost once.
Back On The Beeb â ITV screened the first two group matches and we all know what happened. The first England game shown on the BBC for this World Cup was the Slovenia one and theyâÂÂre showing the game this Sunday against Germany.
If England are to avoid it going to penalties they need to make sure they take all the chances they create against Germany, the team looked livelier against Slovenia and weâÂÂre all hoping they play even better against the Germans. Not only did England play better but also Wayne Rooney looked more like the Rooney we know. Wazza is 5/1 to score the first goal of the match.
What about the famous 5-1 thrashing in Germany England dished out, think about that! ItâÂÂs a massive 325/1 to happen again this Sunday and another reason why we can beat the Germans!
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