Shifty's Team of The World Cup before someone duffs it up in the Final

Well, I had a go at the start of the knockout stage, with mixed results. Here's my definitive World Cup Team of the Tournament (we'll be adopting a 4-2-3-1 formation). Any suggestions or questions (for example, why would a police force tell us someone had been tasered when their autopsy shows no such signs?) then please leave a comment

Goalkeeper: My initial team had Uruguay's Fernando Muslera, but he has looked shaky in the knockout stages. Most folk will probably opt for Iker Casillas, but as regular readers of this blog will know, I'm obnoxious and perverse about these things, and enjoy being different. Step forward (not too far forward, though, or you'll get lobbed) Portugal's Eduardo

Right-back: Maicon got the number 2 shirt initially, but Brazil's early exit combined with the outstanding performances of Phillipp Lahm means the Germany captain gets the nod ahead of Holland's Gregory van der Wiel and Uruguay's Jorge Fucile

Centre-backs: Ricardo Carvalho and Ryan Nelsen got the nod 1st time round, but both are displaced by players whose teams have advanced further. Gerard Pique and Arne Friedrich have both been outstanding

Left-back: Again, a player who starred early on is replaced by someone who has taken his team all the way- Giovanni van Bronckhorst replaces Fabio Coentrao here

Central midfield: This team will play with 2 deep-lying midfielders as opposed to just Rafael Marquez in the initial team. Bayern Munchen pair Mark van Bommel and Bastian Schweinsteiger have both excelled, and their familiarity with each other will be an asset at the heart of this team

Right wing: Thomas Muller has emerged as an absolute megastar from relative obscurity at this tournament- he's a leading contender for the Golden Boot and Young Player of the Tournament, and takes the place of Alexis Sanchez in this team. Much has been made of Miroslav Klose's pursuit of Ronaldo's World Cup scoring record; come 2018, Muller could have that record of 15 well within his sights

Left wing: Arjen Robben. The Dutch taught everyone how to manage a player carrying an injury into the tournament. Never left the bench until 20 minutes from the end of the dead rubber group game against Cameroon, Robben was then able to add another dimension to Bert van Marwijk's functional outfit, and was influential in the knockout stages. Incidentally, Robben's inclusion brings the number of Bayern Munchen players in this team to 5

Playmaker: Wesley Sneijder
Sneijder has been a class above at this World Cup, adding guile to an at times pragmatic Holland team, scoring 5 goals in the process, practically unheard of for a midfielder

Striker: Now here's an interesting one. The 3 players behind this guy have all had successful tournaments because of the ability of the striker to occupy defenders, sometimes to the detriment of their own scoring record. That still doesn't mean Heskey's any use, though. This rules out deploying David Villa (who has spent much of the tournament starting wide left and moving towards goal) or Diego Forlan (who has found much joy playing just off the front, and with Suarez and Cavani operating in the channels ahead of him) in this position- were the team opting for a basic 4-4-2, then they would probably be the partnership of choice, but as aforementioned on this blog, 4-4-2 is dead. One trait that this team would have is the ability to break quickly down the flanks through Muller and Robben (Villa could have been an option on the left, but would not provide the natural width offered by Robben), therefore requiring a finisher inside the box. Step forward Bayern Munchen player number 6, Miroslav Klose

Hoffenheim v Bayern Munchen, Saturday 16th May

My Thoughts

First, let this writer apologise for the lack of work on here this weekend- it's exam time.

When these two sides met in December, Hoffenheim went into the game at the Allianz Arena knowing whatever the result, they would top the Bundesliga at the halfway stage. A titanic battle ensued- Hoffenheim taking the lead through Vedad Ibisevic, before a Bayern comeback resulting in a late winner for Luca Toni. A horrible slump in form after Christmas, which was not helped by the loss of Ibisevic to a knee injury, has resulted in Hoffenheim falling out of contention even for a Europa League place, however a mini-revival has seen them win their last 2 games and move up to 7th place. Bayern, who have re-appointed Jupp Heynckes following the dismissal of Jurgen Klinsmann and his Buddha statues (no, really) are still very much in contention for the Bundeslinga, and will be desperate for 3 points. Heynckes has won all 3 of his matches in charge so far, and will know that another 2 wins are vital if his team are to triumph.

The Verdict
Hoffenheim may well have rediscovered ther mojo in their last 2 games, however Bayern may well prove too strong here. Away win

The Bet
Bayern are a best-price 4/7 with extrabet to win- very poor value in this writer's opinion. Alternatively, Lukas Podolski seems to be rediscovering his form under Heynckes. He can be backed at 13/10 with expekt.com to score anytime