The penultimate day of the second round phase sees France and Germany take on African opposition as they aim to book their place in the quarter-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Day 18 of the competition kicks off with the French, who are hot favourites to progress to the last eight, tackle Nigeria in their round of 16 clash at the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia.
Didier Deschamps’ side, who lifted the World Cup on home soil back in 1998, impressed as they topped Group E with comprehensive and goal-laden victories over Honduras and Switzerland before drawing 0-0 with Ecuador.
Nigeria, meanwhile, finished second in Group F behind Argentina and are targeting their first-ever World Cup quarter-final berth in their first knockout match since 1998.
This will be only the second international meeting between France and Nigeria, with the African side having won the previous meeting 1-0 in Saint-Etienne back in June 2009.
The Super Eagles are aiming to become just the fourth African side to make the quarter finals of a World Cup tournament after Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010.
Nigeria will summon hope in the fact that the French have lost two of their last three World Cup matches against African nations, Senegal in 2002 and South Africa in 2010, though they beat Togo between these two defeats, in 2006.
The winner of this last 16 tie in Brasilia will face the victor of the other knockout match on Day 18 as Germany meet Algeria in Porto Alegre.
Algeria will have revenge in mind when they renew World Cup rivalries with Germany 32 years on from the ‘Shame of Gijon’.
Officially, there will be a place in the quarter-finals of the 2014 event at stake when the two nations lock horns in Porto Alegre on Monday, but history dictates that there is much more than mere tournament progression riding on the contest for Algeria.
Having beaten West Germany 2-1 at the 1982 World Cup, Algeria were denied a place in the knockout stage after a now infamous victory for the Germans over Austria a few days later – with the two sides collaborating to ensure that the 1-0 scoreline required to take both through came to pass.
The issue still rankles with the North Africans, but they can console themselves with the fact that they are now making history as they go, with qualification into the second round secured for the first time, some three decades too late for some, and they can take great pride in that achievement.
Algeria finished as runners-up in Group H, with a nervy 1-1 draw with Russia in their final outing taking them through at the expense of their opponents.
Germany, meanwhile, will feel that there is still more to come from them, despite making light work of a so-called ‘Group of Death’ as they collected seven points.
Their opening fixture, a 4-0 demolition of Portugal, showcased what they are capable of on their day, while battling qualities earned them a draw with Ghana and a narrow victory over USA.
Joachim Low will be hoping to draw on the positives from each of those outings as the serious business of knockout competition gets underway, but he insists there is no chance of his much-fancied side taking Algeria lightly.
You can watch all 64 matches from the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil live across the BBC and ITV, with live streaming available online across multiple platforms.
Visit our dedicated World Cup page – sport-onthebox.com/worldcup – for a full rundown of both channel’s comprehensive coverage of the tournament.
SOTB’s TV viewing guide to Day 18 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup:
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DAY 18: MONDAY 30th JUNE
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| ROUND OF 16 LIVE: 4.00pm-7.10pm Venue: Brasilia |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via BBC iPLAYER
Europe meets Africa at Estadio Nacional in Brasilia as 1998 world champions France play Nigeria in the fifth match of the last 16 phase.
This will be the first competitive meeting between the nations, with the only other fixture being a friendly in 2009 in Saint Etienne which Nigeria won 1-0, and the Super Eagles are aiming to cause an upset and reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
Their outstanding crop of players progressed to the last 16 in 1994 and 1998, but until this tournament, they had failed to win another game in the finals, exiting twice at the group stage and once failing to even qualify.
France have a unity in their squad that has been missing in recent years, and claimed seven points from their group matches against Honduras, Switzerland and Ecuador, leaving them in prime position to reach the quarter-finals, where a much stiffer test is likely to await.
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| ROUND OF 16 LIVE: 8.30pm-11.15pm Venue: Porto Alegre |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via ITV PLAYER
The sixth match of the last 16 stage sees Joachim Loew’s Germany take on African outsiders Algeria at the Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre.
Germany topped Group G following victories over Portugal and the USA either side of a draw with Ghana, and have developed an outstanding roster in recent years, building their national game back up from the grass roots.
That planning and patience has been rewarded by the development of the likes of Toni Kroos, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller, which has given their squad the perfect balance of youth and experience.
However, they can take nothing for granted against the Algerians, who bounced back from a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Belgium by producing a fine performance to beat South Korea 4-2, and then securing second place in Group H and their first-ever appearance in the knockout stage by holding Russia to a 1-1 draw.
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SPORT ON THE BOX’S COMPLETE WORLD CUP TV GUIDE
Monday 30th June Match of the Day: World Cup Highlights – Day 17 (rpt) 7.00am-7.45am BBC Two FRANCE v NIGERIA Round of 16 – Brasilia | Kick-off: 17:00 LIVE: 4.00pm-7.10pm BBC One GERMANY v ALGERIA Round of 16 – Porto Alegre | Kick-off: 21:00 LIVE: 8.30pm-11.15pm ITV Match of the Day: World Cup Highlights – Day 18 12.00am-12.45am (Tue) BBC One Match Replay: 1.20am-3.05am (Tue) BBC Two In the event of extra-time and penalties, TV times are subject to change.
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