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In the first quarter-final of the World Cup, one of the teams that has shown the most beautiful game in the tournament so far - the tournament host Germany, meets one of the favorites Argentina. Neither the Germans nor the Argentines have experienced a loss round yet, but on Friday one team will have to end their performance after losing just once. Berlin - "Olympiastadion" stadium Germany - Argentina Match start: 18:00 (Lithuanian time) Referee: Lubos Michel (Slovakia) Head-to-head matches Germany has faced Argentina in 16 matches. The host team won five matches, while the representatives of South America won seven. Four matches ended in a draw. These teams played each other four times in the World Cup - in 1966, 1986, and 1990, and most recently in the last two editions, meeting in the tournament's final. Germany has two victories and Argentina has one. One match ended in a draw. The last meeting of these teams was last year at the Confederations Cup. The match ended in a 2-2 result. Kevin Kuranyi and Gerald Asamoah stood out in the German team, while Juan Roman Riquelme and Esteban Cambiasso scored goals for the Argentine team. Facts about the teams Germany Germany has reached the World Cup finals seven times out of 16. They have won the trophy three times - in 1954, 1974, and 1990. After the victory in 1954, the Germans were eliminated only three times before the semifinals. Each time they were defeated by teams from Eastern Europe. Germany has won 7 out of the last 8 matches, including victories in this tournament, and has kept a clean sheet three times. In the World Cup, Germans have won 5 consecutive matches the most. Argentina Argentina's best performances in the World Cup were in 1978 and 1986 when they became champions. Argentina was eliminated in the quarterfinals twice - in 1966 and 1998. Argentina has gone unbeaten in the last five World Cup matches. They are only two undefeated matches away from their all-time record of 7 matches. Opinions Twice World Cup champions Argentina has not won this trophy since 1986 and this time will strive to triumph at the championship. Before the match against the Germans, Jose Pekerman, Argentina's coach, was confident in his team's victory. "This team has the qualities of a champion team. We want to continue the history with our game, the positions we take. Each of them has a bit of that history," Pekerman spoke about his players. - "I want to emphasize that we are very happy here in Germany and enjoy the World Cup, which means we respect the hosts of the tournament." Argentina's national team coach also praised Jurgen Klinsmann, the opponent's coach in the quarterfinal. "With Klinsmann coaching the team, Germany has done very good things - a rejuvenation of many players and an attacking style that helps them play great matches. The same can be said about Argentina, which always goes to play. The truth will be revealed on the field," the coach said. Meanwhile, Carlos Tevez, a striker for the team, said that Germany will have to try much harder to beat the Argentines: "To defeat us, they will have to show more than they have done so far. They know that if they let us play, we will cause them a lot of problems." According to C.Tevez, their style of play won't bother German fans: "I like to play when the audience is against me, we, Argentines, are used to it. Great players and great teams show their abilities in tough matches. If it were a wrestling match, we would definitely lose, but if we play our game with passes at foot level, we will have good chances to advance. They are quite tall, so playing high crosses is not a suitable option for Argentina." On the other hand, German coach Jurgen Klinsmann warned that his team will play fiercely against opponents from Argentina and promised a manly fight. Four victories in the tournament have raised the mood of the Germans and given them a lot of self-confidence before the quarterfinal. "We are ready for a huge battle and to win it. We will go into the match full of aggression and determination, and then we will see how Argentina reacts," the German coach spoke firmly. "Both teams have big goals. We know that to win, we have to play to our full potential and we are ready to do so. To play against Argentina - one of the best teams in the world - is special. We will approach the match with optimism and energy. I wouldn't say we are overly confident, we just have a lot of confidence in our abilities. From what I've seen in this tournament from other teams, I can say that we have nothing to hide," the German coach was convinced. Although the Argentine playmaker and "engine" of the game is considered to be Juan Roman Riquelme, team support Torsten Frings said that nobody is preparing to focus on him: "We cannot make the mistake of focusing on just one player, because Argentina has many players who can decide the match. I can't imagine myself chasing after Riquelme for 90 minutes." "We are not afraid of anything. Argentina is a top-level team and deserves our respect, but we believe we can beat them and reach the semifinals," stated the German captain Michael Ballack. Injured players and strategy Germany: Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose missed Tuesday's training, but returned to the lineup on Wednesday and will play in the match. This means that Jurgen Klinsmann will have the luxury of selecting the same eleven that defeated Sweden in the round of 16. In fact, throughout the tournament, the German coach made only two changes - in the opening match against Costa Rica, the injured M. Ballack was replaced by Tim Borowski, and in the last group match against Ecuador, Christoph Metzelder took Robert Huth's place in defense. Argentinian Luis Gonzalez has recovered from a groin injury and should play in the right-back position - this will give the Argentinians more attacking options, but more defensively oriented Esteban Cambiasso will remain on the bench. It is unclear whether center-back Nicolas Burdisso will recover in time. He could be replaced by Gabriel Heinze, and Leandro Cufre is expected to start the match at right-back instead of Lionel Scaloni. So, this lineup of Argentina's defense line will play together for the first time in this tournament. What to expect in the match In the quarter-final match, where two teams that promote attacking football will play, we can expect a great spectacle. Players from both teams occupy the top positions in the most scorers' list, so without a doubt, in this match they will try to add to their goal tally. Fans eagerly awaiting this duel should not be disappointed. Both Germany and Argentina are tournament favorites, so being eliminated in the quarterfinals would be a huge failure, so the battle on the field will turn into a fierce one and both teams will show everything they are capable of. Projected starting lineups: Germany(4-4-2): Lehmann; Friedrich, Metzelder, Mertsacker, Lahm; Schneider, Frings, Ballack, Schweinsteiger; Podolski, Klose. Argentina(4-4-2): Abbondanzieri; Cufre, Ayala, Heinze, Sorin; Gonzalez, Mascherano, Riquelme, Rodriguez; Saviola, Crespo.
