Thiago Silva: 'Fans must get over Germany defeat'

Thiago Silva has called on Brazil supporters to put their disappointment to one side and inspire the Selecao to victory over the Netherlands in Saturday's third-place playoff.

Brazil's hopes of winning the World Cup on home soil were dashed in ruthless fashion as Germany cruised to a 7-1 victory over Luis Felipe Scolari's side in Tuesday's semi-final.

It was the nation's heaviest defeat since losing 6-0 to Uruguay way back in 1920, and Silva says that the fans must forget about what happened in Belo Horizonte and focus on helping them seal a third-place finish.

"The pain from this defeat is too big. It is during this bad time that we need the strength of the fans even more," he told the Brazilian Football Confederation's website.

"I guarantee that we will play Saturday's game like it was the final of the World Cup."

Saturday's encounter in Brasilia kicks off at 9pm.