Brazil will be missing Thiago Silva and Neymar for their semi-final encounter against Germany tonight, but centre-back David Luiz believes he is capable of leading Brazil past Germany and through to the World Cup final,according to Sky Sports.

The PSG centre-back has been named as Brazil's captain for their World Cup game tonight as he will be alongside Bayern Munich centre-back Dante, considering this will be the first time in this tournament these two defenders will be playing together.

Germany are a fierce opponent but looked unconvincing against Algeria in their 2-1 win before cruising past France in a 1-0 victory, as Brazil will be looking to exploit their defensive vulnerabilities showcased in this tournament.

Luiz ready for captaincy

But speaking to Sky Sports ahead of tonight's game, Luiz isn't fazed by the role as captain, with the 27-year-old feeling clam considering the immense pressure.

"I'm ready. I'm vice-captain and this group is very easy to handle because everyone's very down to earth. It won't be a tough job at all."

Tonight's much anticipated match will be Luiz's 42nd game for Brazil, as the centre-back has been a key player in this years' tournament having scored twice; most recently a wonderful free-kick in the host nation's 2-1 victory against Colombia.

The celebration showcased how much it means to the Brazilian to play for his country in a major tournament, as he broadcast this again in their penalty shoot-out against Chile in the round of 16; Brazil just beating their neighbours 3-2 in penalties after it remained 1-1 after 120 minutes in an emotional World Cup tie.

Luiz then went on to comment about the opponents Germany believing they are a strong team who deserved to be where they are, clarifying this will be a great game.

"They are a great team with a great philosophy of how to play football. They have a lot of great players, a great coach and it will be a great game. It is a World Cup semi-final."

Germany to fall at semi-final hurdle again?

Germany have remained the footballing force fans are aware of, but considering they have cruised to another semi-final in a major competition they have their Achilles' heel.

In their round of 16 encounter against Algeria, Joachim Low set a high line with slow centre-backs making goalkeeper Manuel Neuer play as an advanced sweeper keeper, and if the Bayern Munich keeper wasn't in magnificent form it could have been very costly.

David Luiz has come a long way to achieve this reward, as the centre-back over recent years has shown great class, but also carelessness to win the captaincy.

In his time at Chelsea, fans would point out the common mistakes that the former Benfica defender would accountable for and would consider the 27-year-old would be best suited as a defensive midfielder.

Yet, in a Brazil kit the defender is a completely different player; calm on the ball, with great positioning along with seeming to have a great relationship with his future team mate Thiago Silva.

Considering Luiz has been sold to the Ligue 1 Champions PSG for around £50 million, tonight will be great chance to showcase why is the world's most expensive defender and to play down all the criticism thrown at him in recent years.