The last time Germany and Algeria met was in 1982, where the Algerians won 2-1 for their opener. However, Germany and Austria have conspired to what went down as a scripted game, to eliminate Algeria from the tournament. Now, the incident is infamously called the 'Disgrace of Gijon.'
Fast forward to this day, the match to be played in Alegre soil is yet to be another historical event. Now the two are fighting in the Round of 16, and it is Algeria's first time ever to qualify this far for the World Cup.
However, the statistics so far show that Germany will put a quick end to the Algerians' one minute of fame.
The German team has three World Cup championship titles to date, and their players are just top notch. Nevertheless, they still see the Algerians as a worthy Round of 16 qualifier, and not just underdogs for the round.
"At a World Cup, there are no desirable opponents and no easy opponents, especially not in the knockout matches," said Germany coach Joachim Loew.
"The Algerians have proven that they are an uncomfortable rival. We'll be well prepared."
That is a great compliment from the opponent, as Algeria's performance so far is just 'enough. They entered the tournament with little to brag, and even if they exit now, they already have proven their nation's prowess in football.
Nevertheless, their 4-2 win against South Korea and draw against Russia are something to be proud of, and to be happy about.
"This Algeria team has a lot of margin to (improve) and I suspect that we can (do) a lot better maybe in the next round against Germany," admitted Vahid Halilhodzic, Algeria's manager.
Prediction: The Algerians are happy just going through this far in this competition, and their mentality is probably either: 'since we made it this far, we should go the extra mile,' or 'since we made it this far, we will not go home empty-handed.' Either way, Germany's expert and feisty players will not give Algeria the beginner's luck. The game will turn out to be a 3-2 win in favour of Germany.
With reports from: www.usatoday.com
