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Anonymous
Spain should win: their players and coach are technically far superior to anyone Germany has got. Thing is, when Germany are on form they can buck quite a lot of technical superiority. Take the Portugal game for example: Portugal were one of the favorites to win, yet their (superior) team was dominated by the on-form Pigclimber and his magic sparkly boots. And Portugal might not have the technical talent of Spain, but there's no real reason it couldn't happen again.
Of course, if Ballack doesn't play, the psychological effect could kill Germany before they even kick off. Never saw why; he really isn't a particularly good player. I remember when he was second-string at Bayer Leverkusen; when he was fielded in a group-stage Champions League match, I even remember Motson (I think) being all, "Oh, perhaps that wasn't the best of, uh, strategic decisions there...after all, Ballack's not exactly the most experienced player and what Leverkusen need now is an addition, uh, an influx of creative talent." He's not great, but owing to the fact that German teams have been without any talented midfielders since Rudi Voeller, he's obtained considerable fame. And the loss of the captain might be a dangerous thing anyway.
If Germany get a goal early (from a set-piece no doubt) I think they could ride it out 1-0. If Spain score in the first half at all, it's over for them. 3-0 or maybe 3-1 at the very best.
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