It's been too long since Germany won the World Cup and the country that gave the European Champions in 2013 is slowly losing its patience. Bayern Munich was dominant in all competitions last year and it is just a few games away from winning another trophy. Some of the best German players are in their squad, so it makes perfect sense for the national team to be among the favorites in Brazil. Bet365 prices them at 6.50 to win the trophy, behind Brazil and Argentina, but ahead of Spain.
Loew is a determined coach who doesn't hesitate to speak his mind and who sticks to the plan regardless of how things turn out in the short run. He has high expectations from this team, as do the fans and will get the chance to test his players in a very competitive group stage. Germany will shine brightly in the elimination rounds, when composure, experience and unyielding determination are key qualities.
Group stage and event prospects
Facing Portugal in Group G is a great way to prepare for the next big thing and Germany is rightfully credited with the first chance to prevail. Those who bet on the Die Mannschaft will get odds of only 1.50 to win the group which will have a deterring effect on savvy punters who seek value. It would be better to simply back them in the direct match with Portugal at odds of 1.90, as that will be the decisive game.
The United States and Ghana have competitive, homogenous teams but they are no match for Germany or Portugal and the best they can do is to play a role in deciding the group winner. German fans are very sensitive and get easily annoyed when their team falter, so Loew will need to make sure that he doesn't lose games early on. Qualifying from the second position will be frowned upon and an untimely elimination will not only lead to his immediate sacking but also a huge uproar back home.
Key players for Germany at the World Cup
There is not going to be a problem in finding 11 players capable of competing at the highest level, as Loew has plenty of options. Bastian Schweinsteiger has emerged as a key player for both the national team and Bayern Munchen and together with Sami Khedira, packs quite a punch in the midfield. Muller is another remarkable player that can play many roles and his contribution upfront makes him very difficult to replace. The odds for him to be the top scorer at the World Cup are 29 to 1, the best for all Germans.
Klose and Gomez are going to play a smaller role than they did four years ago, but they are not going to spend a lot of time on the bench. Germany relies on an offensive minded formation and will not settle for draws even against top opponents, so two extra strikers will always come in handy.
The bottom line
Germany is rightfully included among the top favorites at the World Cup 2014 and an outright bet on them to prevail could be an option. There is no point in backing them to win the group at 1.50 and most top scorer spreads are risky, simply because Germany doesn't rely on a single or two striker, but four.
