Why the third place game needs to be eliminated

Brazil and the Netherlands will feature in the game no one wants to play on Saturday. 

Playing for third at the World Cup is the equivalent to watching your prom date dance with someone else for two hours. It's horribly pointless (just leave the party already) and soul crushing. 

For the hosts, their final game can be used to erase memories of Tuesday's 7-1 drubbing at the hands of Germany. Except it doesn't work like that at all. 7-1 is not going away. 7-1 will still be the lasting memory of Brazil's campaign, no matter what happens in Brasilia on Saturday. 

The Dutch are disinterested in this as well. 

"I think this match should never be played," said head coach Louis van Gaal. "I've been saying that for 10 years. We'll have to play that match. It's unfair - we have one day less to recover than our opponents, too, so that's not fair play."

As if the world's best footballers couldn't use a rest, considering how many games they play between club and international duties. 

The third-place game is essentially for marketers looking for one last score before FIFA's traveling roadshow packs up shop and heads out of Brazil on Monday. 

"The worst thing is I believe that, chances are, you lose twice in a row and a tournament where you've played so marvelously well you'll leave as a loser after losing the last two matches," van Gaal continued. 

"That's my view, but I said that 15 years ago, 10 years ago. In a tournament, you shouldn't have players play a match for third or fourth place. There's only one award that counts, and that's being world champion."

Instead of leaving the tournament with positive feelings, the taste of two consecutive defeats is washed out with mini alcohol bottles on the first flight back to Amsterdam. That's on the docket for van Gaal's men if they lose on Saturday. 

The neutrals better hope they do. Brazil is preparing for a nightmare scenario on Sunday, if Argentina can beat Germany to win the World Cup on Brazilian soil.

Though the third place game remains an albatross that should be eliminated, Brazil needs a win in the worst way. 

In 2006, Germany overcame a crushing loss in the semi-final against Italy. The hosts went on to defeat Portugal in the third-place game, changing what would have been a depressing 90 minute slog into a party the whole country could enjoy.

It would be nice to see Brazil replicate that on Saturday, but the point remains clear. Be done with the third-place game. We don't need it.