( CNN ) -- This is where it gets really interesting . If your interest in the World Cup died with your ousted team 's dreams , do reconsider . Because , boy , will you be treated to some fancy footwork today . Brazil vs. Germany in the semi-finals . It does n't get any more exciting than that . ( Well , until tomorrow , when Argentina takes on the Netherlands . ) The only time the two nations met at a World Cup was in the finals in 2002 . Brazil won 2-0 . But this time , Brazil is the unlikely underdog facing the very real possibility of being booted from a World Cup in their own front yard . Its goal-scoring talisman , Neymar , is out with a fractured vertebra . And its key defender and captain , Thiago Silva , is out on a second yellow card . ( If you get two , you automatically miss the next game ) . The Germans , on the other hand , are on a tear . They have efficiently decimated their opponents , and they seem to be getting better and better with every match . Here are 5 things you should know about today 's matchup : . 1 . It 's Muller time . Neymar 's gone . Portugal 's Ronaldo is gone . Colombia 's James Rodriguez is gone . Germany 's Thomas Muller may very well emerge as the best player in this tournament . With his power and pace , Muller 's scored four goals and helped with two more so far . Fun fact : Back home , Muller stars in a yoghurt commercial for , what else , Mullermilch . 2 . Getting Klose-r to a record . Let 's not forget that other German dynamo , Miroslav Klose . He 's scored at least one goal in the last four World Cup tournaments ( only two other players can boast that ) . And if he scores today , he becomes the most prolific goal scorer in World Cup history with 16 . He 's tied with Brazil 's Ronaldo at the moment . Fun fact : Ronaldo scored his 15th goal against Ghana in Germany . Klose scored his 15th goal against Ghana , in Brazil . 3 . Do n't rule out the one-name wonders . Brazil has held up the World Cup trophy more times than anyone else ( five ) . And the ugly , uber-physical game it played against Colombia showed that it will do whatever it takes to get that trophy . It has committed more fouls than any other team ( 96 ) and , according to a Forbes analysis , faked the most injuries . While Neymar wo n't be there , Brazil will have the home crowd acting as its 12th man . And it still has two formidable attackers in Fred and Hulk ( yes , he 's named after the comic book character ) . Fun fact : So many Brazilian players go by one name because that 's just the convention in the country . Even the former President , Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva , was known by his nickname Lula . 4 . Keep an eye on the keepers . Germany 's Manuel Neuer has been unbelievable , charging out of his box to clear ball after ball . He 's only allowed in 3 goals in 5 matches . Brazil 's goalie Julio Cesar has yet to concede more than one goal in any game . Those who say he is n't the player he once was were silenced when he saved two penalties against Chile and helped Brazil advance . Fun fact : Neuer won $ 680,000 in the German version of `` Who Wants to be Millionaire ? '' 5 . A word on the card-carrier . The man refereeing the match will be Marco Antonio Rodriguez , the same guy who failed to see -- or punish -- Urguay 's Luis Suarez when he chomped down on the shoulder of Italian defender Girgio Chiellini . Otherwise , Rodriguez came into the tournament as the most card-happy official . He sent off 51 players in 70 matches . ( At the World Cup , he red-carded Italy 's Claudio Marchisio . ) Fun fact : In Mexico , Rodriguez is known as `` Dracula '' for his apparent resemblance to the actor who plays the character in a TV show there . .
Brazil , without Neymar , is the unlikely underdog . If he scores , Klose becomes highest goal scorer in Cup history . Comment: Referee for match is the man who did n't notice Suarez bite .