1 mins: Germany lose it cheaply but their high-pressing line harries the French before anything can come of it. Lahm indeed at right back.
17.02 Germany will kick off.
17.01 Quite a bit of anti-racism. Now we've got a big banner. Jonathan Pearce worries that the players are having to stand out there in the heat. 30 degrees. Perhaps technophobe Pearce is upset about the newfangled banner.
16.59 Stirring performance of two top-notch anthems. Here are the France team:
16.55 The captains of France and Germany now each read out a statement about how they're all anti-racism, it's to do with a FIFA Anti-Discrimination day.
16.53 All Europeans now, as Basil Fawlty so wisely put it. These English folks are supporting Germany.
16.48 Oh was it Theirry? I missed the start. Baudelaire's 'Elevation', according to a man on the internets.
Next up: Alan Shearer reads the works of Sylvia Plath.
16.45 Goodness gracious it's all gone very French over on BBC. Some moody ambient music, a man reciting a poem in Foreign. I expect someone will have a love triangle or fall off their bike or stab themselves in the eye any moment now.
16.42 Funnily enough, you would fancy Neuer for a massive foul coming out the box, wouldn't you? Not necessarily a violent or vicious one, but all that charging out and trying to tackle. And funnily enough, just as I type this, they're talking about it on the telly.
"It's high risk football, if it doens't come off it's a red card," says Rio Ferdinand.
16.40 A film, and a discussion about the Toni Schumacher and that foul of fouls. CAn you imagine the internet drama if it happened now?
16.38 These people are showing off their colours. For any readers who don't speak French, the message on their t-shirts reads 'France', which is French for France.
16.30 It's Rio! Yay! And Alan Shearer. Ok. And Shexy Ruud Gullitsh! Great.
16.29 There's a little preview thing in a theatre. Hey if Germany win, they will reach a record fourth consecutive semi final.
16.28 I always get a little frisson during the World Cup while the titles of the TV shows are playing. Who will be on pundit detail?
16.25 Anyway, that's enough tennising. Here comes football.
16.20 "Email that has made me the most jealous" award goes to Richard Piercy, who says:
Oh man, that sounds like a lot of fun. Hope you both have a great time. Remember to drink and gamble irresponsibly.
16.15 First email of the day honour goes to Søren H. Assmann
Don't underestimate Höwedes. He isn't the fastest, but near unbeatable in a direct 1:1, he's there to prevent the pass to the outside and flanks into the box. Which is the exact tactic Germany will use up front - bringing Klose up front instead of the small Götze is putting up a serious header challenge to the France defense, plus another prime assist-giver. If Boateng and Hummels harmonize, and Schweinsteiger and Khedira become the prime couple they were in the last tournament, France will have one hell of a day to get their attack machine going.
16.08 One of the features of Germany's match with Algeria was the goalkeeping of Manuel Neuer, hurtling out of his goal like a big aul mad one. Paul Hayward has the skinny:
The tournament's outstanding keeper possesses all the talents of an outfield player and has been likened to the great Franz Beckenbauer
A German goalie charging off his line to engage a French attacker is not a happy image after Harald Schumacher’s levelling of Patrick Battiston in 1982.
If Manuel Neuer surges out of his goal at the Maracana, the effect will be more Beckenbauer than bulldozer.
Joachim Löw, the Germany coach, thinks Neuer could “play in midfield” and Toni Kroos, who fills one of those positions, calls him the team’s “11th outfield player.” In a tournament of “high” German pressure, Bayern Munich’s keeper is reinventing the last line of defence.
“This is the class of Manuel Neuer. He can basically play as a player behind the defenders,” Löw said in Rio. “He can basically pass like an outfield player.”
Read more of that here , most interesting stuff.
16.02 Talking, as we were a few minutes ago, of betting, Betfair are paying all money back as a free bet, on selected markets, if any of today's quarter finals games go to extra time. See more about that here . You'd have to fancy this France-Germany to go to 120 minutes, surely?
16.00 Here are the brave men and true who will be lining up shortly.
15.57 I'm considerably more interested in the football. Talking of telly, a nice modest tweet from the nice and modest Richard Keys.
15.55 A tennis is happening on BBC TV at the moment, Dimitrov and Djokovic going at it, Rob Bagchi is the man blogging for us.
15.53 Chelsea's Schurrle is a bit unlucky to be on the bench, I reckon. And Arsenal's Ozil can probably count himself on the fortunate side.
15.52 Here are the full teams
France: 1-Hugo Lloris; 2-Mathieu Debuchy, 4-Raphael Varane, 5-Mamadou Sakho, 3-Patrice Evra; 6-Yohan Cabaye; 8-Mathieu Valbuena, 14-Blaise Matuidi, 19-Paul Pogba; 10-Karim Benzema, 11-Antoine Griezmann
Substitutes: 7-Remy Cabella, 9-Olivier Giroud, 12-Rio Mavuba, 13-Eliaquim Mangala, 15-Bacary Sagna, 16-Stephane Ruffier, 17-Lucas Digne, 18-Moussa Sissoko, 20-Loic Remy, 21-Laurent Koscielny, 22-Morgan Schneiderlin, 23-Mickael Landreau
Germany: 1-Manuel Neuer; 20-Jerome Boateng, 5-Mats Hummels, 4-Benedikt Hoewedes; 6-Sami Khedira, 7-Bastian Schweinsteiger, 16-Philipp Lahm, 18-Toni Kroos, 8-Mesut Ozil; 13-Thomas Mueller, 11-Miroslav Klose
Substitutes: 2-Kevin Grosskreutz, 3-Matthias Ginter, 9-Andre Schuerrle, 10-Lukas Podolski, 12-Ron-Robert Zieler, 14-Julian Draxler, 15-Erik Durm, 17-Per Mertesacker, 19-Mario Goetze, 21-Shkodran Mustafi, 22-Roman Weidenfeller, 23-Chrisoph Kramer
15.50 Well, assuming that's true, it makes sense. Always seemed odd, to these untutored eyes at least, why he was playing one of the world's best fullbacks in centre midfield, and having two centre-halves playing in the full-back positions.
15.45 Wow, a bit of a curve ball from Loew by the sounds of it...
15.40 Reading Alan Smith's assessement seems to me to bear out what the bookies are saying: Germany around 15/8, France a best-priced 19/10, and the draw in 90 minutes 21/10. in other words, it's ascloseasthis.
15.35 A really excellent preview piece here from Alan Smith (the Arsenal one!) in which he runs the rule over the expected starting XIs. France vs Germany: The players rated head-to-head
15.30 A video for your enjoyment. Joachim Löw is confident despite the illness that has been troubling some of his squad.
15.25 Aside from the Central and Southern American teams, France have been one of the most enjoyable surprises of the tournament so far. So pacy! So lethal in front of goal! So not trying to stab the coach in the back and going on strike! Truly, these are les bonnes temps, for our French friends.
15.20 Afternoon all. Alan Tyers here. Welcome to our live blog of the first quarter final. Two proper big boys of European football, two properly exciting football teams. Hard to see any obvious weaknesses: perhaps the German full-back Howedes, a converted centre-half could be vulnerable to a Frenchman running in behind. The talented Mathieu Debuchy can be positionally supect. But, really, you're nit-picking. Two classy outfits.
Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro
Kick-off: 17.00 BST
TV: BBC ONE
Team news
France (Possible, 4-2-1-3): Lloris; Debuchy, Varane, Sakho, Evra; Matuidi, Cabaye; Pogba; Valbuena, Benzema, Griezman.
Germany (Possible, 4-3-3): Neuer; Hummels, Boateng, Mertesacker, Howedes; Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Kroos; Özil, Müller, Götze.
Referee: Nestor Pitana (Argentina).
Under-fire Germany face rejuvenated France in Friday's World Cup quarter-final at Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana stadium in a clash of two European powerhouses.
This represents an acid test for Germany coach Joachim Loew after eight years in charge with his side heavily criticised at home for below-par performances at Brazil 2014.
A place in Tuesday's semi-final against either Brazil or Colombia in Belo Horizonte is at stake.
"Didier Deschamps has turned France around since 2010 and we're looking forward to another classic," said Loew who took charge after the 2006 World Cup.
The German camp has been blighted by illness in the build-up with Loew revealing seven of his squad have suffered with light 'flu symptoms and sore throats.
The full squad trained at the Maracana on Thursday and Loew is relishing the "magic" of the knock-out stages, but says a good result takes precedence over a good performance.
Their 4-0 hammering of Portugal in their opening group match confirmed their status amongst the world's elite.
But having been held to a 2-2 draw by Ghana, then grinding out a 1-0 win over the USA in their final group match, poor finishing saw Germany labour to a 2-1 extra-time win over Algeria in Monday's last 16 clash.
Former captains Michael Ballack, Oliver Kahn and Lothar Matthaeus have all questioned Loew's selections with playmaker Mesut Ozil struggling and centre-backs Jerome Boateng and Benedikt Hoewedes being played out of position as wing-backs.
Loew has a contract with the German FA (DFB) until June 2016, but a quarter-final exit will put him under pressure to resign despite steering his side to the semi-finals of the last three major tournaments.
The Germany boss says his side's best football at Brazil 2014 is still to come.
"We have not yet delivered our best possible performances, that is to come still," Loew told a press conference here Thursday.
"This isn't some easy-to-figure out computer game and your own team isn't always easy to programme, but you have to find the right combinations.
"You either win and stay or lose and go home."
In contrast, France have risen steadily under their coach Deschamps and are unrecognisable from their chaotic 2010 campaign in South Africa.
With Karim Benzema in top form, France are dreaming of their first World Cup title since their 1998 triumph on home soil, but their focus is solely on Germany.
"There is no apprehension or fear. There is no reason for us to feel any," said Deschamps.
"Germany are a solid side with lots of experience of this level but this game will be a pleasure for us and we are preparing ourselves as well as possible for it."
Honours are even in terms of recent meetings with France claiming a 2-1 win in Bremen in February 2012, while Germany claimed revenge by the exact same scoreline in Paris 12 months later.
The French lead the series with 11 wins to Germany's eight in 25 previous meetings.
Both sides played down the relevance of their legendary 1982 World Cup semi-final, which Germany won 5-4 on penalties after a dramatic 3-3 extra-time draw.
The Seville game attained notoriety when Germany keeper Harald Schumacher shoulder-charged Patrick Battiston, leaving the Frenchman unconscious on the ground.
With the media quick to ask whether France can claim some World Cup revenge, both Loew and Deschamps pointed to the fact most of their respective players were not born at the time.
Germany should have centre-back Mats Hummels back after missing the Algeria win with flu, while Lukas Podolski is fit again after a thigh strain.
There is a question mark over France defender Raphael Varane, who spent the night in hospital with dehydration after Monday's 2-0 win over Nigeria in the last 16.
Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho is fit again after knee problems, while it remains to be seen who Deschamps names as striker between Olivier Giroud or Antoine Griezmann.
Read John Ley's match preview for a full guide to the game.
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