WORLD CUP: Brazil vs Germany preview

Luiz Felipe Scolari must re-jig his Brazil team for the World Cup semi-final against Germany in the absence of key men.

Scolari has a decision to make over how the hosts line up at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, with Neymar and Thiago Silva both missing.

Barcelona forward Neymar has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after sustaining a fractured vertabrae during the second half of last Friday's quarter-final win over Colombia.

Willian is likely to get the nod over Bernard to replace Neymar, despite suffering a back injury scare of his own in training. The Chelsea man admitted "it bothers me a bit", but he will be available to play. 

Jamie Redknapp joins Ed Draper as they look ahead to the World Cup semi-final between Brazil and Germany.

Alternatively, Scolari could also opt to select a midfield three in the absence of his star man, with Luiz Gustavo available once more after suspension.

"Neymar is one of our references and one of the best players in the world, but we have another 22 players who have been hand-picked and capped because we know they are special," said the Brazil coach.

"Those guys who come in are special. They can make a big difference. This is what we are conveying to our players. We will miss Neymar, but we have a team who can overcome the difficulties and go on into the next round.

"That's the goal the group has had since the beginning: to qualify for the final."

Opta facts

• This will be only the second meeting between these two nations at the World Cup. The first clash came in the 2002 final when Brazil won 2-0, with Ronaldo scoring both goals.
• Since that 2002 final, the two teams have met three times in all competitions, including in the 2005 Confederations Cup. They have won one match each, with the other ending in a draw.
• Their last meeting came in August 2011. Goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger, Andre Schurrle and Mario Gotze helped Germany to a 3-2 win. Neymar and Robinho netted for Brazil.
• Brazil have scored in each of their last 10 clashes with Germany, averaging 2.2 goals per game.

Scolari invited Neymar to the semi-final, but the Brazil Football Federation said the forward will instead be recuperating in Sao Paulo.

Captain Thiago Silva is also sidelined due to a one-match ban, so Dante will deputise at centre-back and David Luiz will skipper the side.

Silva is sure his replacement will do a good job against the Germans.

"Dante is ready," said Silva. "He works very hard. He is one of the first out at training and one of the last to leave, so he has the energy and the skills."

Meanwhile, Germany coach Joachim Low must decide whether to recall centre-back Per Mertesacker, who was omitted from the last-eight triumph over France for tactical reasons.

Low went back on his promise not to field Philipp Lahm at right-back against the French and opted to pair Bastian Schweinsteiger with Sami Khedira in midfield. Miroslav Klose also made his first start of the tournament and the coach must decide whether to retain the record-chasing goalscorer.

Low has dismissed any notion that the absence of Neymar will mortally wound Brazil's hopes and said he was "awfully sorry" the Barcelona star's serious injury will keep him out.

"You shouldn't believe the absence of Neymar or Thiago Silva will be a big disadvantage for Brazil," said the Germany coach. "Dante won't deliver a bad match against Germany. He's an excellent player, and others will feel invigorated.

"You've seen teams lose some players and others accept the responsibility. They'll be on the pitch fighting for Neymar and the nation to make sure they reach the final.

"We are awfully sorry for Neymar and the Brazilian team, he has been injured in a terrible situation, and we would have been delighted to have seen him on the pitch, we wish him all the very best for a speedy recovery."

Spain's early exit from the World Cup has seen Germany overtake them to become the world No 1 in FIFA's rankings.

The winners of Tuesday's game will face either Holland or Argentina in Sunday's final at the Maracana in Rio, while the losers head into the third-fourth place play-off in Brasilia the night before.

Paul Merson's prediction

With Neymar out and Thiago Silva banned, I don’t fancy Brazil. I’ve said all along that I don’t think they’re good enough and that they carry too many players, and I just think that against a team like Germany they will come up short