Galerie » Jackson (13.3 ppg) provide even more offensive options. Mediocre

Belo Horizonte, Brazil (SportsNetwork.com) - Brazil is one win away from reaching the World Cup final at the Maracana on Sunday, but the hosts will have to overcome a stern test from Germany in the semifinals on Tuesday at the Estadio Mineirao. You can catch all of the action live on TSN 1050, TSN 690, TSN 1200, TSN 1260 and TEAM 1410. Much of the focus surrounding this match has centered on how Brazil will cope without two of its most important players against the Germans as both Neymar and Thiago Silva will take no part in Tuesdays showdown. Silva, Brazils captain and one of the best defenders in the world, will miss the game through suspension because of an accumulation of yellow cards after he was booked in the second half of Brazils 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Colombia. Neymar has been one of the faces of this World Cup and head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari must now find a way to replace the four goals and one assist that the 22-year-old tallied in helping his side reach the last four. The Barcelona star was ruled out for the rest of the tournament after suffering a fractured vertebra in a collision with Colombias Juan Zuniga, and he will likely be replaced by Willian in Scolaris starting lineup on Tuesday. Brazil has been very reliant on Neymar at times during this tournament, but Willian believes that despite the absence of his superstar teammate, his side is even stronger because of the adversity the team now faces. "Neymar sets the standard for us. He is capable of deciding any game, so playing without him will be difficult," Willian said. "We know the quality that we have. We are all very sad at losing him but we are now even stronger after what happened and we can continue to pursue our dream." Scolari is likely to replace Silva with Bayern Munich defender Dante, a man who knows his German opposition very well. Dantes knowledge of Germany could prove to be important, but as Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger pointed out, that understanding of the opponent cuts both ways. "I hope he starts, we know him very well and know his strengths and weaknesses, but he also knows how we play," said Schweinsteiger, who is a teammate of Dante at Bayern. Brazil is receiving much of the attention ahead of this semifinal, while Germany has quietly gone about its business and will be making a record fourth straight appearance in the last four at a World Cup. Germany coasted through Group G to reach the knockout round, but Joachim Lows team had a much more difficult time with Algeria than expected in the round of 16, needing extra time to dispatch the Desert Foxes, 2-1. The Germans were much more clinical in knocking off France, 1-0, in the quarterfinals, and Lows men will no doubt be full of confidence ahead of the showdown with Brazil. These two heavyweights last met in the 2002 World Cup final, with Brazil emerging as 2-0 victors to claim a record fifth Jules Rimet trophy. But Schweinsteiger feels as though this is a much different Brazil side than the one that most people have become accustomed to, and that his German teammates should expect a physical game. "The Brazilians here arent the magicians of old, the team has changed and so has their playing style," said Schweinsteiger. "Hard challenges are definitely a part of their game, its something we have to be careful of and the referee too." This Brazil side has certainly not resembled the great Brazil teams of old, which played with a creativity and flair that hasnt been exhibited by this edition of the Selecao. However, that certainly doesnt mean that Scolaris men pose less of a threat to the Germans, even without Neymar and Silva. Playing the host nation at this stage of the World Cup is a difficult task, and Germany knows all too well what it feels like to go out at this point in the tournament. German captain Philipp Lahm was a member of the last two World Cup teams for Germany, both of which lost in the semifinals. The thought of losing in the last four for a third successive World Cup and playing in another third-place match is a thought that the defender isnt interested in entertaining. "I really do not need that, thats something I want to rule out," Lahm said. Mohamed Salah Jersey . The attacking midfielder arrives on a free transfer from Spains Malaga. The 28-year-old joins Scottish striker Kenny Miller and Argentine midfielder Matias Laba as designated players on the Whitecaps roster. Oscar Jersey . The injury will keep the Finnish forward out of the Olympics. 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Tiemoue Bakayoko Jersey . -- Those impatient for the Stanley Cup to return to Canada will have just one team to root for in the NHL playoffs -- the Montreal Canadiens.Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Coming off a statement win this week, the eighth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish are on the road on Saturday, as they take on the Pittsburgh Panthers in an ACC showdown at the Petersen Events Center. Mike Breys Irish picked up their 20th win of the season in impressive fashion, as they battled back from a double-digit deficit against fourth- ranked Duke on Wednesday to earn a 77-73 victory over the Blue Devils. The win was the fifth straight for the Irish and pushed the team to 20-2 on the season, with an 8-1 league ledger, good for second place behind No. 2 Virginia. Jamie Dixons Panthers are at the opposite end of the spectrum right now, trying to halt a three-game losing streak. Most recently, Pittsburgh fell in overtime at Virginia Tech on Tuesday, 70-67. With the loss, Pitt is now just 13-8 overall, with an ugly 3-5 record in the ACC thus far. This marks the 60th all-time meeting between these two programs. The Irish hold a 31-28 series advantage. However, the Panther earned an 85-81 overtime victory last year to bring an end to a five-game win streak for Notre Dame in the series. There arent many teams in the nation that could win a shootout with Duke, but Notre Dame proved to be one of them. Standout guard Jerian Grant played a huge role in the win with some timely shots down the stretch to propel the Irish to victory. Grant finished the game with a 23 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. Zach Auguste added 14 points to the cause, Pat Connaughton recorded a double-double of his own with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Demetrius Jackson contributed 10 points for Notre Dame, which shot a sterling .518 from the floor against the Blue Devils. TThere are very few teams more efficient than the Irish this season.dddddddddddd. Notre Dame is shooting .521 from the floor (second nationally), while averaging 81.6 ppg (ninth nationally). Scoring depth is apparent with four of the five starters averaging double figures. Grant is headed toward All-America honors and is a serious National Player of the Year candidate, averaging 17.4 ppg, while doling out 6.5 apg. Connaughton plays much bigger than he is (6-5), as he adds 13.8 ppg and 8.5 rpg. Auguste (13.7 ppg) and Jackson (13.3 ppg) provide even more offensive options. Mediocre numbers produce mediocre results and that is where Pittsburgh lives right now. The Panthers are in the bottom half of the league in terms of scoring at 67.3 ppg, while allowing 64.0 ppg. There arent any prolific scoring options on the roster, as Michael Young paces the team with 13.2 ppg, despite shooting over 50 percent from the field (.507). Young also tops the team in rebounding with just under eight caroms per contest (7.8). Jamel Artis (11.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg) has elevated his game and is second on the team in both scoring and rebounding. James Robinson (10.1 ppg) rounds out the teams top scorers. The Panthers allowed the Hokies to tie things up late and force overtime and then a Adam Smith 3-pointer with just three seconds left in the overtime session finally did in the visitors and kept Pittsburgh on a downward spiral. Artis had a strong outing in defeat, as he just missed a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds. Cameron Wright and Robinson checked in with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Young struggled offensively, finishing with just six points, but he did grab a team-high 10 rebounds. ' ' '