Season's Over gives it's best predictions for the 2014 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals.

By Mike Corasaniti
Editor-in-Chief

Not to toot our own horn, but Season's Over did pretty well in it's Round of 16 predictions...give or take a heartbreaking loss by the United States.

The final eight teams in the World Cup get back to work Friday after some drama filled elimination matches to start the knockout rounds. After all was said and done it's hard to say there were many upsets, besides maybe Uruguay, but they really never reached their World Cup potential especially after the Suarez fiasco.

The matches that will decide the semifinals in this year's World Cup though are all but up in the air. Some of the favorites like Brazil and Germany have showed that they're flawed, while newcomers on the big stage like Costa Rica and Belgium are playing strong in trying to make their own mark.

Only a week and a half separate us from the final match of the 2014 World Cup, and the next four contests may very well be the most exciting yet.

France v. Germany – Friday, July 4 at 12 p.m. (ESPN2)

France didn't have to exactly run the gauntlet to get to the Round of 16, but their defeat of Nigeria further grounded the Group E winners as one of the best remaining teams in the field. Karim Benzema has proven he's an excellent scorer but it seems that almost any Frenchmen has been able to find the back of the net. The fact that France was one of only three teams to get past their opponent this round without any overtime was another positive sign. 

It's unfortunate that Germany is running into such a hot France squad at a time when they're not playing their best soccer. The Germans easily have one of the Top 4 teams remaining in the bracket, but they haven't showed top form since blowing out Portugal in their opening match. There's no way to avoid the fact that Germany dodged a bullet against Algeria and a similar performance won't do against this French squad. Prediction: France 1-0

Brazil v. Colombia – Friday, July 4 at 4 p.m. (ESPN)

As heroic as Julio Cesar's performance was in penalty kicks against Chile, Brazil will need to take a stand much earlier on against Colombia if it wants a shot at advancing to its first semifinal since 2002. Brazil's talented midfield and attack needs to get over the flaws that have been trying to doom it all tournament. Colombia is a much more terrifying opponent than Chile and Brazil is going to need to treat them as such.

The excellent James Rodriguez is front and center on the international stage and again took control on Saturday for them to get past a disheveled Uruguay. Friday's match has the opportunity to be a classic offensive contest between the likes of Rodriguez and his Brazilian counterpart Neymar. If the host nation can indeed get past the Colombians then they might be good enough to go all the way, but that's a very big "if". Prediction: Colombia 2-1

Argentina v. Belgium – Saturday, July 5 at 12 p.m. (ESPN2)

This may be a matchup of the two weakest teams of the quarterginals but it will garner an interesting result regardless: Either the best player in the world makes it to the semifinals, or Belgium becomes one of the biggest Cinderella's the World Cup has ever seen. That shouldn't take away from the fact that many guessed Belgium would give a strong showing to begin with, but their meeting expectations is still something to be celebrated.

Neither team dominated their knockout round opener. It took late goals from both to get to the quarterfinals, but Argentina played like a struggling squad while Belgium played like a great team against a stellar goalkeeper. It would be a shock to see Argentina fall short of their ultimate goal, but they are yet to prove this tournament that they're a team capable of winning it all. They can't rely on Lionel Messi alone forever. Prediction: Belgium 3-2

Netherlands v. Costa Rica – Saturday, July 5 at 4 p.m. (ESPN)

You can call the Netherlands's comeback win over Mexico luck or you can call it talent, but the Dutch will only have one thing on their minds regardless and its getting back to the World Cup Final. An offensive showing from Wesley Sneijder showed that the Netherlands are more than just the 1-2 punch of Robben and Van Persie. Now the Dutch only have the upstart Costa Rican squad to ensure a return trip to the semifinals.

Costa Rica had to sneak past Greece to make it this far, somewhat diminishing their strong performance in the group stage. Their defense though could make things difficult for the Dutch and their earlier wins against Uruguay and Italy have shown that they won't be the pushover the Netherlands may be hoping for. You should still expect a close match, but a match where the clear-cut better team comes out on top in the end. Prediction: Netherlands 2-0

Season’s Over looks at the possibility of Brazil and Argentina meeting in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final and how the matchup would pan out.

By Mike Corasaniti

With the World Cup only moments away from taking over the world’s attention, it’s important to further recognize the special opportunity this year’s Brazil squad has: Cementing its mold even more as the best World Cup team of all time – on it’s home turf. But with this opportunity also comes a painful amount of pressure.

Brazil and its five World Cups are the most all time, but the country has also failed to emerge past the quarterfinals since its last title in 2002. A quarterfinal exit won’t please anyone this time around; a similar sentiment shared by Brazil’s South American counterpart and challenger Argentina.

Lionel Messi’s squad has not seen recent success past the quarterfinals either, a frustrating reality for a squad that has showed so much talent and potential over the past years. Is this the year both nations exorcize some demons to once again reclaim their status on the world stage?

A Word on Brazil

There may not be any other team in the history of the World Cup who has had more of a “Win or Bust” mentality than this year’s Brazil team. Even considering countries like Spain, Germany, and the other excellent teams the field is offering this year, nothing will taste as sweet unless the home team is securing it’s sixth World Cup.

Neymar, one of the game’s still-rising elite players, will be the backbone and lightning rod for this years lineup as he matches up against Messi, his opposing goal scorer and Barcelona teammate. The 22-year-old forward plays even better than his billing when he is free to improvise and create opportunities for himself and his teammates.

But there is promise there is also a good deal of caution to take too when evaluating Neymar and his potential for this World Cup season: How much can we take away from his last season in Barcelona where his goal scoring became less and less prolific? Fellow attackers like Thiago Silva and David Luiz will provide solid if not excellent support, but it’s hard to list them as unstoppable just yet.

A Word on Argentina

Argentina was dismantling to the hands of Germany in the 2010 quarterfinals was nothing short of a shocker, which is why you would be hard pressed to find anyone betting against Argentina to make it further this time around. And just like Brazil, Argentina’s chances for another World Cup live and die upon the feet of their superstar.

Messi is already a hero to his come country but a successful World Cup showing would elevate him to further legendary status. Arguably the best finisher in the game right now and for the past few years, there really is no reason to bet against the 26-year-old now making his third World Cup appearance. And the scary thing for opponents to realize is that even without their goal scorer, Argentina is still a deep and threatening squad.

If you’re looking for a weak link from this team, then look no further than its defense. But between Messi and fellow goal scorers like Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi, and Gonzalo Higuain, Argentina’s best defense is a terrifying offense, and they will bank on that for as long as they can.

Prediction

Logistically, for both teams to meet in the World Cup Final they both need to come out on top of their respective groups. This shouldn’t be too difficult of a problem for either squad, but getting past the likes of teams like Spain, Germany, Portugal, etc., will be the real obstacles for a South American showdown on July 13.

Both teams have their weaknesses and they both come way back from their opponent’s goal. But whereas Argentina’s defense and goalkeeper offer some uncertainty, Brazil’s offer a much more serious threat to their chances. Look for their biggest question mark to be Julio Cesar, who hasn’t impressed many in his current state of play.

And despite its breadth of promise and young talent, Brazil’s attack has some question marks as well. And against them may be Argentina, where Messi and his supporting cast now have the chance to prove their post-2010 doubters wrong. And everyone should plan on them doing so: They may be one of the best of all time.

Argentina 3-0

The whole world will be watching in the coming weeks toward a possible UEFA Champions League matchup between famed rivals Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, who could meet each other as early as the quarterfinals.

By Mike Corasaniti

The two Spanish clubs have some of the stiffest competition standing in their way of a quarterfinal matchup. 

But both teams have the tools to advance, and set up another El Clasico with much more on the line.

How Madrid gets there

It’s not Manchester United’s season by a long shot, but they did still dominate their play in the group stages, albeit in one of the weaker groups in play.

Madrid has shown that they can shut down offensive attacks, but will they be able to slow down RVP? That alone will probably decide the fate of the series.

How Barcelona gets there

There’s no one better in the world right now than FC Barcelona. Behind Lionel Messi and his record-setting 2012 has the opportunity to match it’s potency in this upcoming year as well.

They should have little trouble with AC Milan who have been struggling so far this season, currently in seventh place with just 27 place in Serie A play. With all of their different player transaction distractions, it’s hard to imagine Milan being focused enough to pull off what would turn out to be a major upset.

The Matchup

It’s Sunday, so I’ll keep this one short.

If Madrid can prove that they have the defensive capability to shut down the likes of RVP and the rest of the Man United attack, than that’s a step in the right direction in shutting down Barcelona. Unfortunately, they’re going to need much more than a step if they want to shut down Messi, especially after the year he just had.

FC Barcelona 4-1