France - Argentina -- Hmmmm....France got here through some of the luckiest, blandest play of the tourney, while Argentina has ridden a roller coaster of luck to the knockout stage. Argentina has the most talent (and expectation) but they're also kinda old and formless and rely too much on Messi (great when he's great, but the 2nd half of that Nigeria game he was spraying passes all over the place). France has a good identity and haven't really been tested so far, but they'll have to kick it up a notch to get the W. I like France to get it done (and Argentina to go home extremely grumpy).
Uruguay - Portugal -- I'm not a huge fan of Uruguay, they play with more expectation than savvy, though so far it's worked for them. They've got power up front and I think they're sneaky good on D, as well. Portugal has mostly just been whatever Ronaldo can summon up, which has worked so far but I can't help thinking that's not a long term plan for success. Uruguay can keep the ball, too, and if they push forward they can get goals. I'll take Uruguay.
Spain - Russia -- Spain still has some of that mid-field greatness that dominated the world for a stretch but they're not as dangerous around the goal and not as rock steady in the back as their peak years. Russia plays with a great intensity, which has served them well against lesser opponents but not so much against the better ones. Spain is one of the better ones. I'll take Spain.
Croatia - Denmark -- Denmark has been one of the blandest squads in the entire tourney, only a questionable goal against Peru has brought them this far. Croatia, on the other hand, is solid with the ball and is arguably the best team so far. I've got to stick with Croatia because they've got the best combination of talent and strategy.
Brazil - Mexico -- Brazil has played well enough to win and while they surely have the quality to dropkick anyone on the right day, they feel too reliant on Neymar (*) when they ought to be more Spain-like in their midfield dominance. Mexico is not afraid of Brazil, they've always played well against them. Mexico saw against Sweden the downside of playing for a draw, I expect them to come out aggressive in this one. I like Mexico to get a lead and hold it. I'll take Mexico.
Belgium - Japan -- Belgium was my pre-tourney pick to get to the Final and though that D is shaky, I still like their chances to keep winning. Japan is reliable but unspectacular. They won't let the Belgians dominate them but I don't think they'll get enough opportunities to make the most of Belgium's weak backline. I'll take Belgium.
Sweden - Switzerland -- Sweden has the athletes and the expectation, but they seem hesitant at times and if they fall behind they may completely crumble. Switzerland is sly, they've got a sturdy stay-at-home defense and good ball handling in the midfield. I like Switzerland.
Colombia - England -- This one'll be fun. Colombia came in as one of the favorites only to get punked by Japan in their opener. If James Rodriguez is hurt, that'll put a serious crunch on their ability to score. England is young and unpredictable but they know what they're doing around the goal. I have no real sense of either midfield, I suspect this will be a long ball over the top kinda game for both teams. I expect a lot of wide open action with plenty of dangerous chances for both teams. I like England to pull it out (possibly in penalty kicks).
(*) I know Neymar is a badass, he's a star, he's the 3rd all time leading scorer for the mighty Brazilians, but--is it me?--he does not seem head and shoulders above most of his teammates. I dunno, man, I've never been as impressed with Neymar as I should be, we'll see if he can put together a classic run.
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