Brazil vs. Germany: 2016 Olympic Men's Soccer Gold-Medal Odds, Form Guide

Although the path was a bit tricky, Brazil and Germany have lived up to expectations and will face each other in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics gold-medal match on Saturday.

These two squads were considered the most talented in the field coming into the tournament, but they didn't look it in the first few matches. Brazil managed just two scoreless draws against South Africa and Iraq in its first couple of games, while Germany earned a pair of draws against Mexico and South Korea.

However, the two juggernauts have broken out over the past week and are playing as well as ever heading into the final. No matter who wins, this battle should be a real treat for fans.

Here is what you need to know heading into the highly anticipated battle.

Men's Soccer Gold-Medal Match

When: Saturday, Aug. 20

Where: Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Time: 4:30 p.m. ET, 9:30 p.m. BST

TV: NBC Sports (U.S.), BBC red button (UK)

Live Stream: NBC Olympics (U.S.), BBC Sport (UK)

Odds (via Oddschecker): Brazil (1-1), Germany (11-4), Draw (23-10)

Brazil might have started off the tournament slowly offensively, but the team is red hot over its past three matches with 12 goals scored in that stretch.

Neymar didn't need long at all to kick off the scoring in the semifinals against Honduras:

Shortly after, Gabriel Jesus doubled the lead to 2-0, which Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated correctly predicted would lead to more:

The fans were a major part of the success and likely a reason Brazil didn't let off the gas. A 3-0 lead at halftime eventually became a 6-0 win, the last of the goals coming in stoppage time when Neymar converted a penalty kick.

Jesus and Gabriel Barbosa have been key contributors throughout this impressive stretch, but Neymar is clearly the team's leader and best player.

"Neymar is a monster—in the positive sense,” head coach Rogerio Micale said after the win, per Matt Gatward of The Independent. "He has a gift for playing. He delights with his talent. I wish we could replicate what he does with other players but it is difficult, it is not an exact science. He is so gifted."

In addition to Neymar leading the attack, the defense has been incredible so far in this tournament. The team is yet to concede a single goal in five matches, even keeping focus with big leads.

Playing at the Maracana in Rio with the way the entire team has performed, it's no wonder the home fans are extremely confident heading into the next round.

According to Andrew Downie of Reuters, the fans were calling for Germany:

This stems from the 2014 World Cup semifinals where Germany humiliated Brazil in front of their own fans in Belo Horizonte by a score of 7-1. Although these are mostly different teams on the pitch, the supporters would still like to see some redemption in a tournament of this size.

On the other hand, you might want to be careful what you wish for because the Germans have been quite impressive all tournament.

The attack, led by Arsenal's Serge Gnabry, has scored 21 goals in five matches. Even if you take away the 10 goals scored against Fiji, 11 goals in four games against quality competition is quite a performance.

With the defense also posting a clean-sheet streak of three matches, these are truly the best teams playing at their peak level heading into the final.

We know the fans will be loud in support of Brazil, but both teams can take home the gold.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for year-round sports analysis.