Germany/Sweden 
My Pick: No pick
Hosts,Germany who kicked off the FIFA World Cup with a win over Costa Rica will again kickstart the group stages when they play Sweden in the first game of the round of 16 in Munich on Saturday.
The Germans have looked impressive, topping Group A with a 100% win record. Under Jurgen Klinsmann,they have transformed into a formidable attacking outfit who move forward at even the slightest opportunity, a deviation from the earlier German sides who were more renowned for their defensive capabilities. This has seen them score 8 goals in three games. They have conceded only 2, both against cultured striker Paulo Wanchope in the opening game. Werder Bremen marksman, Miroslav Klose has been in hot form, bagging 4 out of those 8. The Swedes will have to be wary of his threat in the air. Young Cologne forward, Lukas Podolski who will move to the Allianz Arena in the new season,scored one in the 3-0 demolition of Ecuador and will be thirsting for more. And as always, the fulcrum of the Bayern attack will be their inspirational captain, Michael Ballack. The handsome midfielder had a fantastic outing against Ecuador for which he was aptly named the man of the match. No yellow cards for anybody as everyone starts the knockout stages on a clean slate. Christophe Metzelder and Jens Lehmann will most probably play despite slight injury worries.
Sweden were run ragged in Group B, but showed what they were capable of in the second half against England. But for a team which contains Champions league hero Larsson, Juventus forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rennes wonderkid Kim Kallstrom, three goals in as many games is a bit of a letdown. Freddie Ljungberg will hope to get the better of his Arsenal teammate Lehmann. Freddie was man of the match against Paraguay and will be keen to put up a similar performance.
The major question is whether Ibrahimovic will start alongisde Larsson. The ex Ajax striker has not spent much time on the pitch this World cup. His replacement, Ex Villa striker Marcus Allback scored against England, and this will pose a slight selection headache for Lars Lagerback. Most of the remaining squad select themselves.
The Swedes have never beaten Germany in Germany and will be keen to reverse that. They will also want to wipe out the memories of last time, when they qualified from the "Group of Death" only to lose to Senegal in the second round.
My verdict:
On paper nothing separates both the teams. The Germans last had a "failure" in the 1978 edition when they went out in the second round. They have had an
impressive record in all succesive World Cups. The Germans will have home support but there will be pressure on them to see off Sweden. The hopes of an expectant
nation will be on their shoulders after a fine showing in the opening round. The Swedes on the other hand, will be looking to prick the German bubble and they have
enough class to do that. But I think Germany will win this, although one can never rule out Sweden.
