Former Spanish striker, Raul, believes Argentina will not stand a chance against a powerhouse nation like Germany.
He believes that usually there aren’t favorites at the point of the finals, but in the case of Germany’s lack of dependence on one player, Die Mannschaft will come out on top.
Argentina have been heavily criticized for overly depending on their main man, Lionel Messi. If he were to get taken out of the game in some way, Argentina wouldn’t have any one in the middle creating opportunities similar to their Barcelona man.
“Normally, World Cup finals do not have clear favorites,” Raul insisted in his column for the Times of India.
“This tradition has been broken in Brazil. Germany are the team to watch after their demolition of the hosts in the semi-final. They have waited for a long time for this and appear to be the best-prepared lot.
“The three-time champions are not dependent on individuals. Everybody in their midfield is capable of scoring. The defense is not impregnable but tight, and has conceded only four goals in six matches. Neuer has been an inspiration under the bar.”
“For such an all round team, it’s difficult to lose momentum after a landmark win. Joachim Low’s side knows when and how to peak. They started with a bang, went back to their normal style of winning industriously, and when they faced better teams, came at them hard.”
Injuries are also a concern for La Albiceleste. Angel Di Maria is doubtful to return to the starting lineup following a further injury setback he suffered in training on Saturday afternoon.
Head Coach, Alejandro Sabella said: “We will see on Di Maria. We have special things planned for him. We will see. I’ll have a better idea after we’ve trained.”
There are also concerns over Sergio Aguero, and if he will be 100 percent later today when the sky blues take on the machine and co. El Kun has been going through intensive training himself and is hopeful of a comeback.
“When you come back from an injury, it is always in the back of your mind whether it will return,” he added.
“I had to train and try to be as good as I could be. When you miss three games, especially in a World Cup, you realize what you are missing.”
