Germany vs. Italy: Mesut Ozil Will Lead Germany to the Euro 2012 Finals

With his precision passing and mastery in the midfield, Mesut Ozil will lead Germany past Italy and into the finals of Euro 2012.

Germany's potent attack is loaded with world-class weapons, but Ozil is the engine that powers them to success. His playmaking ability is the key to its entire offense, with his unique talent for creating chances being unparalleled by anyone not wearing a Spanish uniform.

With his speed, touch and unbelievable vision, Ozil is a striker's dream teammate.

The Real Madrid star led La Liga this season with 17 assists and 2.9 key passes per game. His success has carried over to Euro 2012, where he is tied for first with three assists, two of which came in Germany's 4-2 quarterfinal win over Greece.

Ozil has also completed 233 of 256 passes (91 percent) in the tournament, and he and Xavi are tied for most key passes per game (4.5) among players who advanced past the group stage. He's also 10th in the entire tournament with 2.3 accurate crosses per game.

The numbers back up what you're seeing on the field, as Ozil is ruthlessly shredding opposing defenses. With him pulling the strings in the midfield, Germany's platoon of goalscorers (Mario Gomez, Miroslav Klose, Marco Reus, etc.) have been able to unleash an assault on the net.

Look for this trend to continue on the semifinals when they take on Italy.

Italy has some quality midfielders as well, particularly Daniele De Rossi and the hero of the quarterfinals, Andrea Pirlo. But with Ozil and the rest of the Germans sure to control the majority of the possession, the often-wasteful Italians will be in trouble.

Even if the Italians are more accurate with their shooting on Thursday, Germany has the firepower to outscore them.

I'm expecting Ozil to dance around as he has done all tournament, creating passing angles and feeding his teammates in the box. Gianluigi Buffon will put up a fight, but the onslaught of German shots will eventually overwhelm the Italians.

I'm predicting a 2-1 win for the Germans, with Mesut Ozil delivering yet another game-changing performance.