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Due to back pain, the German national team may have to do without forward Miroslav Klose, for whom this match could be the last opportunity to surpass or outperform Ronaldo as the most productive player in the history of World Cup football.
Due to illness, Philipp Lahm and Lukas Podolski may miss the match, but it is expected that they will be able to take to the field.
Uruguay's team will have Luis Suarez, who missed the semifinal due to suspension. However, their leader Diego Forlan may not be able to play due to a minor injury.
This match will not be the first - three-time World Cup champion Germany fought for third place with two-time winner Uruguay in 1970. The victory was celebrated by the European representatives. The Germans also reached the third-place match in 2006, beating Portugal.
Uruguay did not fight for third place in 1954, losing to Austria. The last time Uruguay defeated a European team in the World Cup was in 1970, when they beat the Soviet Union 1-0.
There are doubts about the significance of the match for third place, as footballers often lack motivation, but FIFA recently confirmed that they do not intend to abolish these matches.
Uruguay: Nestor Muslera; Maximiliano Pereira, Diego Godin, Diego Lugano, Jorge Fucile; Diego Perez, Egidio Arevalo, Alvaro Pereira; Diego Forlan; Luis Suarez, Edison Cavani.
Germany: Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Per Mertesacker, Arne Friedrich, Marcell Jansen; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski; Miroslav Klose.
Prediction:
The young, ambitious and attractive Germany stumbled in the semifinals, but they will secure third place without much difficulty.
