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So out of the initial sixteen nations just four remain. Whereas both Spain and Germany might have been expected to reach these latter stages, few would have predicted that Turkey and Russia would still be competing come the semi-finals.
Germany Vs Turkey Germany strode past much fancied Portugal after a fairly disappointing group stage. Ballack, the engine of the team, inspires the nation and provides support for the strike force of Klose and Podolski. The defence which initially looked dodgy has been stabilised with the inclusion of Friedrich, who along with fellow full-back Lahm provide width for the team. Joachim Low hopes he can lead Germany to another final and he has history on his side; Germany have played five European Championship Semi-finals and have progressed on four occasions.  Turkey struck extremely late to force a penalty shootout against Croatia which they eventually won. Despite having advanced to this stage, Turkey have only been in the lead for nine minutes during this tournament. Coach Terim suffers a selection crisis though ahead of this match with a possibility of only 13 outfield players being selectable and has stated that third choice keeper Zengin “could come on towards the end as a sub as last man in defence or a centre forward.” Score Prediction: Germany 2 – Turkey 0 Maybe the Turks will spring another surprise however TF90M is sticking with Germany to progress. Russia Vs Italy 
Hiddink knocked out his home nation as Russia shocked the Netherlands and many neutrals. Their brand of attacking football orchestrated by playmaker Arshavin helped them record a 3-1 score line against the Dutch. The Russians will enter into this game full of confidence and with the ability to cause further upsets. Casillas was Spain’s hero as his saves during the shootout propelled Spain into the Semi whilst knocking out world champions Italy. For the majority of the game the Italian defence prevented Villa and Torres causing any danger and it will be imperative to Spain that the two strikers are on form against Russia. The Spanish midfield is well balanced with the attacking intentions of Iniesta and Silva supported by Senna with his work ethic. A key decision for manager Aragones will be whether to include Arsenal’s Fabregas who struck the winning penalty in the previous game. Score prediction: Russia 1 – Spain 2 These two teams met in the opening game of the tournament with Russia being humiliated and on the end of a 4-1 defeat. Whilst this time the result should be closer, TF90M still backs Spain to win. So the two pre-tournament favourites will meet in the final. Turkey neraly provided another upset but the Germans managed to hold on, although looking very shaky. On the other hand Spain triumphed comfortably against Russia in the second semi. Now which team will claim the cup? |
