Football

Beckenbauer said the World Cup final could end up being a "clasico" because of terrific players who will play in good atmosphere and conditions at the Maracana.

The final between Argentina and Germany will provide a nerve-jangling climax to the best tournament in history.

Argentina team spokesman Andres Ventura says Di Maria was practicing at "60-80 percent" at the team base in Belo Horizonte.

Colombia defender Juan Zuniga kneed the Brazil forward in the back in the closing stages of the hosts' 2-1 quarter-final victory.

The Netherlands will face host nation Brazil, who were hammered 7-1 by Germany. The match will take place in the capital Brasilia.

Scolari is widely tipped to step down following Brazil's clash with the Netherlands for third place in Brasilia.

Germany poured in the goals on Tuesday to hand Brazil their heaviest World Cup loss ever with an astounding 7-1 rout in the semi-finals.

Brazil remain bitter about the tackle that ended Neymar's World Cup but hope his absence will inspire the rest of the team.

The absence of Neymar and captain Thiago Silva in their semi-final against Germany could make the hosts stronger, Germany coach Loew said.

Brazil defender Dante vs Germany striker Miroslav Klose could be the most decisive battle in the game.

Atletico de Kolkata unveiled Luis Garcia as their marquee player in the first announcement of the much-anticipated tournament on Monday.

FIFA says on its website that Marco Rodriguez of Mexico will referee the match in Belo Horizonte.

Catch all the live updates from the fourth quarterfinal match between Netherlands and Costa Rica at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador.

Brazil striker Neymar and Colombia playmaker Rodriguez have led their teams to the quarterfinals, dominating the attention and the scoring.

While the hosts beat Chile in a penalty shootout to avoid elimination in the second round, the Colombians had a 2-0 win over Uruguay to reach the quarter-finals.

A European presence in the World Cup semi-finals is assured as Germany and France meet at the Maracana on Friday.