Germany to face Uruguay

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Pretoria-Germany and Uruguay are set to lock horns in a third-place play-off showdown of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Port Elizabeth on Saturday night.

When the two sides met in a third-place play-off match during the 1970 World Cup, West Germany beat the South Americans 1-nil.

The Germans, who have been in form since the start of the tournament lost 1-nil to Spain in a semi-final match on Wednesday. They were also stopped in their tracks in the semi-finals by Italy when they hosted the event in 2006.

However, they finished in third position after beating Portugal 3-1.

Uruguay is set to break-down the German defence with their two lethal strikers, Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez.

The South Americans were in fine form throughout the tournament until they were defeated 3-2 by the Dutch in a thrilling semi-final match.

Germany coach, Joachim Low, said while his side had been disappointed about not making the final, they were focused on the play-off. "Obviously we now have to get over our disappointment, lift the players' spirits and prepare for this game just as seriously as we would any other. We want to finish the World Cup on an upbeat note because, despite losing the semi-final, we've had a very good tournament. I'm really proud of my team," he told FIFA.com.

The match will kick-off at 20:30