Welcome to Sports Mole's live news coverage from the penultimate day of the World Cup in Brazil.
We will be bringing you all of the latest news and gossip from the tournament, which gets back underway this evening when the hosts face the Netherlands in the third-placed playoff.
You can also expect plenty of build-up ahead of tomorrow's final in Rio de Janeiro between Germany and Argentina.
That's it from me tonight. Just one more day left of this fantastic World Cup. Argentina or Germany will be crowned champions in less than 24 hours. Our live blog will begin at 11am tomorrow. Make sure you join us for all the build-up. Goodnight.
Speaking after the defeat to the Dutch, Ramires has conceded that Brazil's World Cup squad will struggle to recover from the 7-1 defeat to Germany in the last four. That result won't be forgotten, that much is certain.
Louis van Gaal has revealed his pleasure after watching the Netherlands recover from semi-final heartache to beat Brazil on Saturday night, suggesting that the odds were against his players in Brasilia.
It's another terrible night for the Brazilians, and Thiago Silva has responded by apologising to the team's supporters for failing to end the World Cup on a high. The captain has also admitted that he does not blame the fans for jeering the players.
Georginio Wijnaldum, who completed the scoring in the third-place playoff, has praised his teammates for showing their resilience against Brazil after suffering the disappointment of being beaten on penalties by Argentina in the semi-final.
Arjen Robben has spoken to the media following the win over Brazil, and he has suggested that the Netherlands deserved more than third place from their World Cup campaign.
We've got more reaction to the comfortable 3-0 win over Brazil for the Netherlands, who secured third place in Brasilia this evening. Matt Law has put together some ratings for each team on another disappointing night for the host nation.
A bit of England news now as the dust continues to settle on the team's disastrous campaign in Brazil. There has been suggestions that Steven Gerrard might retire from international football, but David Beckham is hopeful that the Liverpool midfielder will think twice before handing in the captain's armband.
Matt Law has been compiling his post-match reports on Brazil's 3-0 defeat to a superior Dutch side in Brasilia. You can read his analysis right now.
Scolari has greeted the waiting reporters in his pre-match press conference, but has refused to speculate on whether he will manage Brazil again after the 3-0 defeat to the Netherlands. It's fair to say that it doesn't look good for the 65-year-old.
Lionel Messi, the man many people believe could decide the final tomorrow night, has thanked Argentina's supporters for carrying the squad to the biggest match in world football. Will he add another great moment to his catalogue on Sunday?
There's been plenty of boos for Scolari in Brasilia. It seem as though the Brazilian public have made their mind up, and it's difficult to see a way back for the experienced tactician. Looking ahead to tomorrow's final, Gonzalo Higuain has suggested that Germany have every reason to be worried as they prepare to take on Argentina.
Thank you Barney. Yes, there is plenty of reaction on the way, and with reports suggesting that Luiz Felipe Scolari could discuss his future with the Brazilian tonight - could we see the head coach sacked? Lots of quotes on the way from both camps in Brasilia.
Right, that is all from me tonight! I will hand you over to Callum Mulvihill for the next three hours, and he will help you look forward to tomorrow's final as well as bringing you reaction from tonight's third-place playoff. Over to you Callum...
FULL TIME: Brazil 0-3 Netherlands Have you ever seen a collapse quite like that in the final two games of a World Cup. Brazil ship 10 goals in the semi-final and third-place playoff combined as Netherlands cruise to a 3-0 victory over the hosts. That was far too easy for the Dutch, who finish third in the tournament for the first time ever. Here is our match report.
GOAL! Brazil 0-3 Netherlands (Georginio Wijnaldum) They started in the worst possible fashion, and Brazil finish the match in that way too. The Dutch make it 3-0 in stoppage time as Wijnaldum fires Janmaat's low cross into the bottom corner.
The referee really has had a poor game in Brasilia tonight. He wrongly awarded the penalty and then failed to send Thiago Silva off in the opening exchanges, and now he has just booked Oscar for diving when it looked to be a certain penalty. The referee is left with egg on his face as, after flashing the card for there being no contact, Daley Blind is stretchered off as a result of his foul on Oscar.
Brazil aren't giving up in this match. Ramires has just gone close for the hosts as they look to battle their way back into the game. Scolari has made a couple of changes in the second half, which has given his side more of a midfield presence, and that has certainly helped them so far.
He's had more to say as well, labelling Argentina a "pack of wolves", with Javier Mascherano as their leader. The Argentine midfielder has been one of the standout performers at this World Cup and could well be key to his side's chances of lifting the famous trophy tomorrow night.
Bastian Schweinsteiger has been talking to the press ahead of tomorrow's World Cup final, and is feeling confident about his side's chances.
"I just have a good feeling about tomorrow. I'm quite confident for this final and really looking forward to it," he said. You can read all he had to say about his side's chances here.
We're back underway in Brasilia, with the hosts having made a change at the break. Fernandinho is the man coming on, with Luiz Gustavo going off. Can the Manchester City man make a difference in the next 45 minutes?
HALF TIME: Brazil 0-2 Netherlands It is another half to forget for the Brazilians as they go into the break 2-0 down against Holland in the third-place playoff. This World Cup is fast turning into a nightmare for the hosts. Here is our half-time report from that opening 45 minutes.
Holland look eager to emulate their bitter rivals Germany in humiliating Brazil tonight, and the way things are going they could well do that. Speaking of Germany, though, midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has claimed that his side have "no pressure" on them going into tomorrow's World Cup final. Die Mannschaft have a young squad, but a number of them have experience playing in major finals at club level, while Miroslav Klose is a survivor from the 2002 World Cup final.
GOAL! Brazil 0-2 Netherlands (Daley Blind) The Dutch have doubled their lead in Brasilia as things continue to go wrong for the hosts. It is another shocker from Luiz, whose poor clearance from De Guzman's cross fell straight to Blind to fire into the top corner. Where did this all go wrong for Brazil?
Incidentally, that is the 100th goal that Brazil have conceded at the World Cup finals, and the 12th in this tournament - their worst ever defensive campaign. It is an open game in Brasilia, and you can follow live updates with us here.
GOAL! Brazil 0-1 Netherlands (Robin van Persie) Oh my word, surely not again?! Brazil get off to another nightmare start as Thiago Silva pulls Robben back to concede a penalty. The returning skipper is very fortunate to escape with just a yellow card as he was the last man, but at the same time the initial contact seemed to take place outside the box. Robin van Persie steps up and makes no mistake with the spot kick, firing it brilliantly into the top corner. Early drama in Brasilia!
Just before tonight's match gets underway, there is even more from Joachim Low, who has admitted that he is keen for his side to avoid penalties in the World Cup final against Argentina tomorrow. He 'hopes and expects' the game to be decided before then, but as a nation I'm sure there are others who would want to avoid a shootout more than the Germans!
You can read the full story about that Wesley Sneijder injury here. Meanwhile, the teams are out in Brasilia and we are around five minutes from kickoff.
BREAKING TEAM NEWS: There has been a late change to the Dutch starting lineup after Wesley Sneijder has pulled up in the warm-up while taking a practice free kick. It looks like a hamstring injury and, as a result, Jonathan de Guzman has replaced the attacking midfielder in the starting lineup tonight.
Just under half an hour to go until the third-place playoff kicks off in Brasilia and, while it may seem like a pointless game to a lot of spectators, it usually does provide a bit of drama and plenty of goals. More of the same tonight, please!
More from Low, who has turned his attention from making history to Germany's bright future. Die Mannschaft have reached the final with the sixth youngest squad in the competition, and Low believes that they are capable of going on to dominate international football for a "good few years". Having seen what they did to Brazil, it is a scary thought that many of their players have still not reached their peak.
Germany boss Joachim Low is not the type to settle for second best. Having dispatched of the Brazilians in such ruthless fashion on Tuesday night he has now called on his side to make history and become the first European nation to win the World Cup on South American soil. They are favourites to do so with the bookies, but our poll currently has Argentina edging it ever so slightly.
Thank you very much Pascal! We have just under an hour until kickoff in the penultimate game of the 2014 World Cup - it's gone so quickly! Still, the main event is yet to come and I will bring you plenty of build-up for tomorrow's final throughout the next three hours, as well as guiding you through the third-place playoff between hosts Brazil and the Netherlands. Remember also to check out our live coverage of that game as Brazil look to bounce back from that humiliation at the hands of the Germans.
Right, time for me to have my tea. I'll be passing you on to my good friend Barney Corkhill, who will guide you through tonight's match and bring you plenty more from Brazil. Barns...
TEAM NEWS! The lineups for tonight's game has been released and there's a few surprises. Perhaps most notable is the inclusion of Jo up front for the hosts.
Brazil: Cesar; Maicon, Silva, Luiz, Maxwell; Gustavo, Paulinho; Ramires, Oscar, Willian; Jo
Netherlands: Cillessen; Kuyt, De Vrij, Vlaar, Martins Indi, Blind; Clasie, Wijnaldum, Sneijder; Robben, Van Persie
However, ESPN's Paul Carr tweets that third place at the last EIGHT World Cups has been won by a European nation.
Germany and Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski has backed Brazil to win tonight's third-place playoff against Netherlands.
Germany coach Joachim Low has insisted that his side is not afraid of facing Argentina in the World Cup final.
"Their team is not only about Messi, and that would be a mistake [to think so]. Of course, he can decide a match, but they are much more organised."
Even if Brazil win tonight and finish third, many believe that Luiz Felipe Scolari should be sacked after the team's terrible display on Tuesday. However, it appears that he will keep his job in charge of the national team.
Our two-hour buildup for tonight's third-place playoff is underway right here with Matt Law. Plenty to discuss ahead of the game in Brasilia.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has had his say on Brazil's disastrous display in the semi-final against Germany. The Frenchman has described the hosts' tactics as "absolutely horrendous" in an interview with beIN Sports. More here.
It should be an enthralling match tomorrow and we're building up to the showdown in style with our Twitter cover photo. Check it out here and make sure you follow our main account @SportsMole.
Tomorrow's final will fittingly be hosted at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium and local police have cracked down on anti-World Cup protesters with multiple arrests ahead of the Argentina-Germany clash.
More from Beckham now, who describes James Rodriguez as the "whole package" after his displays in Brazil.
"I think he's got a great future. He's such a talented player and he's a good-looking kid as well, he's got the whole package."
Former England captain David Beckham has predicted a 3-1 Argentina win and a star-studded performance from Lionel Messi tomorrow. Click here to read what Beckham had to say and also vote on our poll for the final. At the moment it's ever so close, with Argentina just ahead on 50.7%.
Will James Rodriguez win the World Cup's golden ball award? Although Colombia were knocked out in the quarter-finals, he really impressed and still leads the scoring charts with six goals. Today is also his birthday - he turns 23 and here's our birthday wish:
Thanks very much, Liam. Righty ho, we do have football today and it's now four hours until the third-place playoff between Brazil and Netherlands.
And that is as far as I take you today. Coming up next is Pascal Lemesre, who will guide you through until 8pm with all the news coming out of Brazil. Enjoy...
Now let's hear from Paul Scholes, who has highlighted what he believes is in the key battle over on Paddy Power:
"The Argentina left back, Marcos Rojo, will have a job looking after Thomas Muller. He might not go past people, but Muller is such a clever runner and, when Kroos gets on the ball, Argentina could be in trouble down this left side. Germany could get an hour out of Klose too, at 36 – and there's every chance of him grabbing another goal and Muller seems to score so many important goals – he set the ball rolling the other night."
But, of course, this weekend is all about the final. Here is how former Germany international goalkeeper Jens Lehmann sees it going:
"Germany have got greater strength in depth and we've got more players who play at the highest level every year," he told FIFA's official website.
"You only need to look at the kind of big international games the Bayern players have been involved in over the last few years. That makes a huge difference because you gain a lot of experience from those sorts of encounters."
As far as a result is concerned, BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson can see the Brazilians getting the better of a Dutch side that seem to have little interest:
"This is the game nobody wants and I completely understand why Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal has complained about having to play it," said the former Liverpool defender.
"I do not understand why people would buy a ticket for this fixture because it is such a non-event, but there will be a lot of Brazil fans there. They will want to win, but I don't think the Dutch will be bothered."
Tonight, it would be nice to see Michel Vorm and Maxwell get some game time. Why's that? Well, they are the only players in the Dutch and Brazilian squads respectively that have had no game time at the World Cup. It can't be that often that all 23 players are used!
Staying with the United theme - their new manager Louis van Gaal has one more match to take care of tonight in charge of the Netherlands and then he will be moving to Old Trafford. The job he has done with the Dutch has impressed many people, including Arsene Wenger, who has backed the 62-year-old to restore United as title challengers next term.
There could be a big blow for Argentina, though, in the form of Angel Di Maria. The winger has been battling a thigh injury and rumour has it that he may not make the game. Even if he his passed fit, it's highly unlikely that he will start the final. It's a busy and uncertain time for the Real Madrid winger, who is said to be of interest to Manchester United right now.
Meanwhile, it would seem that one of their opponents in tomorrow's final - Argentina's Marcos Rojo - is relaxed ahead of the big encounter:
While Muller has quite rightly received plaudits over recent weeks, so has Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who has played almost as a sweeper at times! Former Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann has had his say on the Bayern Munich stopper, describing him as "perfect".
Turning attention to tomorrow and namely Thomas Muller, who has been in fine fettle this summer. He's on 10 World Cup goals overall and Queens Park Rangers midfielder Joey Barton believes that by the time that he retires, he will be the tournament's leading ever goalscorer. Considering that the German international is only 24, it's hard to disagree with that.
Thanks Jack and afternoon everyone. As Jack mentioned, today's encounter is not what we've all exactly been waiting for. It's the match that neither Brazil nor the Netherlands want to play in. Having said that, four years ago, the playoff for third spot saw Germany beat Uruguay 3-2 in what was arguably the best game of that tournament. Hopefully we will see something similar tonight.
That's all from me for today, but I'm pleased to say that Liam Apicella will be with you for the next three hours to take you through all of the latest news and gossip coming out of Brazil. Enjoy!
Former France international Bixente Lizarazu has claimed that the current team "lacked flair" during their run at the World Cup. Les Bleus reached the quarter-finals out in Brazil before suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Germany.
Third-place playoffs at the World Cup may well be pointless, but they've provided some excitement down the years. Who can forget 2002's thrilling encounter between co-hosts South Korea and Turkey? Not only did the match end 3-2 to the Turks, but it also saw the fastest ever goal in World Cup history when Hakan Sukur found the net after just 10 seconds:
Former Argentina midfielder Diego Simeone has praised Javier Mascherano for his leadership qualities ahead of the World Cup final. Mascherano, 30, has played a key role in the centre of the pitch for the South Americans so far at the tournament, helping them to reach their first final in 24 years.
Former Brazil striker Ronaldo has insisted that he has no problem losing his World Cup goal record to Miroslav Klose. The Germany forward eclipsed Ronaldo last week when he netted his 16th goal against the Brazilians to become the tournament's all-time leading scorer.
One player who's really lit up this World Cup is Colombia forward James Rodriguez, and the Monaco forward has now had some interesting words to say regarding his future. The 23-year-old has admitted that it would be a "dream" for him to join Real Madrid. Watch this space...
Germany defender Benedikt Howedes has urged his teammates not to get carried away by their World Cup semi-final thrashing of Brazil. The left-back is certain that the Germans still have plenty of work to do against Argentina in the final before they are crowned champions.
More from Maxi Rodriguez now, with the Argentina midfielder claiming that he and his teammates will "fight" to win tomorrow's World Cup final against Germany. You wouldn't bet against the South Americans ruffling a few German feathers, that's for sure...
Having given you the chance to sink your teeth into our preview for tonight's third-placed playoff, you can also check out all that you need to know about tomorrow's final between Argentina and Germany. What a match it promises to be...
Argentina midfielder Maxi Rodriguez has claimed that Lionel Messi should not be burdened with too much pressure during Sunday's World Cup final against Germany. La Albiceleste's captain and talisman is likely to be the centre of attention tomorrow night as his country looks to win the tournament for the first time since 1986.
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has urged his players to be focused for their third-placed playoff against the Netherlands at the World Cup. Following their humiliating semi-final defeat to Germany, Scolari is eager for his team to restore some pride both for themselves and the fans.
Want the lowdown on tonight's third-placed playoff between Brazil and the Netherlands? Well, look no further because you can check out our preview of the match below:
Germany forward Thomas Muller has revealed that he expects his team to be involved in a "tight" World Cup final against Argentina. While Die Mannschaft crushed Brazil in the last four, Muller insists that tomorrow's match is more likely to be a cagey encounter between the Germans and their South-American counterparts.
Netherlands forward Dirk Kuyt has called on his teammates to leave the World Cup on a winning note ahead of tonight's third-placed playoff with Brazil. While admitting that he would prefer to be playing in the final, the 33-year-old believes that there is still plenty to play for against the hosts this evening.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live news coverage from the penultimate day of the World Cup in Brazil. The tournament gets back underway this evening with the hosts taking on the Netherlands in the third-placed playoff. We will be bringing you all of the latest news and gossip ahead of that match, as well as tomorrow's final between Germany and Argentina. However, let's start things off by taking a look at some of the headlines from overnight...
