Breaking down three super classics in the making

	Germany's Miroslav Klose (right) is the leading scorer of the World Cup, while teammate Lukas Podolski is right behind him. AP

Thomas Rongen is a former Dutch national-team player, but he made his name as a go-to coach in America. His résumé includes stops at four Major League Soccer franchises and as head coach of the U.S. Under-20 national team from 2001-05. Rongen was in Germany for much of the World Cup and continues his periodic analysis for SI.com.

A classic in the making

I can't wait for Germany vs. Argentina on Friday. The home team still has the greatest advantage in this tournament. I don't think anybody felt the Germans would be real contenders in the months leading up to the World Cup, especially when you look at some of their warmup matches (particularly the 4-1 drubbing by Italy in March). There was even some speculation that they'd lose to the U.S. in their friendly three weeks later (they didn't, romping over a team of American reserves 4-1).

Germany is a team that's gotten better as the tournament has progressed. Their scorers -- Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski -- are pouring it on, and they've made defensive adjustments on the fly, which is why they haven't conceded a goal since their opener against Costa Rica.

On the other side you've got the tough Argentines, who have a fighting mentality you don't often see in South American countries. They know how to grind out, and after Brazil, they may have the strongest bench in the tournament. Not many teams can bring in guys like Carlos Tévez and Lionel Messi late in a game, players who can change the course of events. Still, I think you've got to favor the home team -- unless this match goes into overtime, where Argentina's depth could win out.

Another match not to miss

England is headed for trouble sooner or later. It played poorly again against Ecuador, and the only difference in that one was David Beckham hitting a free kick where the keeper was cheating to his left anyway. Sven-Göran Eriksson is a terrific coach, but he has this team running a disagreeable 4-5-1 formation, which is very un-English-like. Somehow, England keeps winning -- some credit needs to go to the defense, which has been outstanding -- but I'd put England and Ukraine at the bottom of these final eight teams as far as what they bring to the table.

England has an intriguing match of its own against Portugal on Saturday, a team that will be without two of its best players -- Deco and Costinha, who are suspended. But head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has this team believing in itself. This could be a sleeper that has the makings of another classic.

Still Brazil's to lose

They may not have played as well as we had all thought, but I still believe the Brazilians are the team to beat. They have an uncanny ability to turn it on when they need it and they basically believe the tournament hasn't started for them yet. Getting out of first round was a given, and they think they needed a few games to get themselves going. That's scary because they've looked progressively better every game and they still haven't hit their stride yet.

There is some cause for concern: In Brazil's last match, Ghana was able to create quite a few scoring chances. Even so, Brazil's next match against France is going to be classic. The Brazilians will be highly motivated for revenge against Les Bleus, who beat them for the title in '98.

Someone needs to step up

Not surprisingly, a few teams' marquee scorers will need to start producing if their squads are to advance. To me, the No. 1 player who has to step up is Thierry Henry -- I'm shocked France has gotten this far without him taking over. Two others are England's Wayne Rooney and Portugal's Pauleta.

On the flip side, people are wondering where Ronaldinho has been for Brazil, which is funny because I don't think he needs to take over a match like many are expecting him to do. On the club level with FC Barcelona, the World Player of the Year is the go-to guy. With this Brazilian team, he's just one of many amazing players. He doesn't need to get better for them to win the World Cup. He understands that his supporting role is every bit as important.

Finally, my picks

I'm not sold on England, but I think it will find a way against a weakened Portuguese side that can't count on a 100-percent-healthy Cristiano Ronaldo and an aging Luis Figo, who will be playing in his fifth match in 21 days.

As I said earlier, I favor Germany over Argentina even though I am a huge fan of José Pekerman, whom I coached against at the under-20 level. But a raucous Berlin crowd will be too much for his Argentine squad to overcome.

Ukraine simply doesn't have the horses to compete with Italy. Francesco Totti hadn't shown up at all before hitting the penalty kick that eliminated Australia, and I think that will jump-start him. And with goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon playing as well as he is, there's no way Ukraine will get past the Azzurri.

Brazil is going to end Zinedine Zidane's career -- but this might be the greatest game of the tournament. France is a proud football nation and one of the best in Europe, and the French will show off all of their skill and tactical ability. But in the end, Brazil will avenge its loss in '98 and send Les Bleus home.

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