Former England international Joey Barton has described the current generation of Brazil footballers as “poor” and tipped them to be trounced by Germany in tonight’s World Cup semi-final.
The host nation go up against their old rivals without talisman Neymar, who misses the rest of the tournament through the back injury he sustained in the last-eight triumph over Colombia.
And head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari must also cope without the reassuring presence of captain Thiago Silva, one of the best centre-backs in the game.
The Paris Saint-Germain hardman is sidelined due to a one-match suspension, having picked up a yellow card last time out.
Queens Park Rangers midfielder Barton has made no secret of his disdain for Barcelona hitman Neymar, branding him a “show pony”, and feels the Germans will have little trouble in progressing to the final.
He said on Twitter: “Germany dump Brazil out tonight. Thiago Silva and the Show Pony are out.
“Their huge loss highlights how poor this Brazilian generation is.”
The winners of tonight’s contest will face the victors of tomorrow’s other last-four clash between Argentina and Holland in Sunday’s eagerly-anticipated final.
Holland head coach Louis van Gaal officially takes over as Manchester United boss when the national side’s campaign comes to an end.