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Dummies guide to the World Cup semi-finals

The next two days will be enormous as the World Cup reaches the semi-finals, so here's a complete guide to the four teams vying for a spot in the decider.

Who's playing who and when?

The two World Cup semi-final matches see hosts Brazil take on Germany at 6am AEST tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, before the Netherlands face Lionel Messi's Argentina at the same time on Thursday morning. The final will be played on Monday morning at 5am.

What do I need to know about Brazil v Germany?

First of all, it's a rematch of the 2002 World Cup final, which Brazil won 2-0. Secondly, Brazil are without superstar attacker Neymar, who was injured during their 2-1 quarter-final win over Colombia. Captain Thiago Silva will also be absent due to a ban and Bayern Munich defender Dante is likely to deputise.

Brazil come into the match with the most pressure of any team, with too much invested into the tournament to come this far without winning the glory. However, Germany - the first country ever to make the semi-finals of four consecutive World Cups - are equally as desperate to win. After losing the final to Brazil in 2002, Germany made the semi-final in Germany (2006) and South Africa (2010) and will no doubt be sick and tired of being a bridesmaid.

Who are the players to watch in Brazil v Germany?

Brazil:

1. Hulk - No.7: Hulk is an attacking weapon who is as strong and powerful as his nickname suggests. His skill and strength will make for an epic battle with Germany's stellar backline of Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng, Philipp Lahm and Dante.

2. Oscar - No.11: The Chelsea FC attacking midfielder is one of Brazil's key weapons and the majority of play will run through him. He will have his work cut out battling German veteran Bastian Schweinsteiger.

3. David Luiz - No.4: He may look like Sideshow Bob, but the Chelsea FC defender is both a handful in defence and an attacking threat in the central midfield when he pushes forward. Germany will be terrified to foul against Brazil in range of goal as Luiz possesses one of the most deadly free kicks in the world, as we saw in their quarter-final defeat of Colombia.

Germany:

1. Bastian Schweinsteiger - No.7: Schweinsteiger is one of Germany's most important players and the result will depend on his performance in the middle of the park. If he's able to shut down threats from Willian, Oscar, Paulinho and Fernandinho, Germany will have the possession to be able feed quality ball to their forwards.

2. Thomas Muller - No.13: Muller has scored four goals during the tournament, including the first hat-trick in Brazil, and will terrorise Brazil's defence if they allow him space.

3. Mesut Ozil - No.8: The Arsenal maestro will be key to Germany's performance. An incredibly gifted attacker with superior vision and technical ability, he has yet to fire in this World Cup the way he did in South Africa and this could be the game he fires up for.

Netherlands v Argentina:

What do I need to know about the Netherlands v Argentina?

Argentina are missing one of their genuine attacking threats in Angel Di Maria, who was ruled out with a thigh injury. This is balanced by news of striker Sergio Aguero being declared fit and left-back Marcos Rojo returning from suspension.

Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal will wait to hear if Leroy Fer has recovered from a hamstring strain, while fellow midfielder Nigel de Jong is out of the World Cup with a groin injury.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi is fit and the team will be motivated by this morning's death of Argentine legend Alfredo Di Stefano.

Who are the players to watch in Netherlands v Argentina?

Argentina:

1. Lionel Messi - No.10: Messi is arguably the best player on the planet and will be a key target for the Dutch. Like Muller, he has scored four goals this tournament and could add more if the Dutch defence isn't paying attention. He will pose a threat to the Netherlands both as a goalscorer and as a creative playmaker, sitting behind striker Gonzalo Higuain.

2. Gonzalo Higuain - No.9: Although he has only one World Cup goal to his name this tournament, Higuain has been a major asset of the Argentine attack and will look to use his speed to get in behind the Dutch defence and await quality ball from Messi, or create his own chances.

3. Sergio Aguero - No.20: The Manchester City striker thrives for the big occasions - he was the one who sealed the 2011/12 English Premier League title for City. Having been declared fit, he will look to attack the Dutch goal with his agility and powerful shots.

Netherlands:

1. Robin Van Persie - No.9: One of the most prolific strikers in the World, no defence scares the Manchester United forward. He scored one of the contenders for goal of the World Cup against Spain and has experience playing against Argentina defenders Martin Demichelis and Pablo Zabaleta.

2. Arjen Robben - No.11: Arguably the best dribbler in the world, Robben terrorises defences with his creativity and powerful shot and links up extremely well with Van Persie. If he has a good game, Argentina are in trouble.

3. Wesley Sneijder - No.10: Sneijder is an incredibly gifted and smooth attacking midfielder who looks as though as has all the time in the world when he has the ball. He has been integral to each of Holland's wins this tournament and will face an epic battle in the midfield against Javier Mascherano.