Confidence high as Germany and Argentina square off

By Barry Whelan Jun 29, 2006, 14:28 GMT

Berlin - Two sides brimming with confidence and self-belief will meet Friday when hosts Germany and Argentina clash in Berlin's Olympic Stadium for the right for a place in the last four.

Germany's performances at the tournament mean Juergen Klinsmann's side goes into the match on a par with a team who would have been made clear favourites only a few weeks ago.

'We are going into this game full of aggression and passion.' said Klinsmann, whose side is aiming to end a winless series for Germany against major football nations stretching back almost six years.

'Expectations are great in both countries. We are looking forward to the challenge. It will be a very hard-fought game and we will have to go to our limits. We are prepared for this,' Klinsmann said.

Argentina coach Jose Pekerman was equally bullish on the eve of the game. 'There is the ability in my team to compare to the (World Cup-winning) teams of 1978 and 1986. We also have players who are something special,' he said at the team base in Herzogenaurach.

Pekerman said both teams were 'favourites' but he was 'very optimistic'.

'One of the big advantages for Germany is the ability to switch quickly from defence to attack. The team works in a compact way going backwards and forwards. We have to play intelligently but I think our team can vary the play enough to win the game,' he said.

Captain Juan Sorin predicted both teams would go out strongly to try to gain control right from the start. Germany are strong but 'we are stronger', he said.

The two sides have been the most impressive in the tournament so far. Germany have won all four of their matches, the last three without conceding a goal. Argentina have won three out of four games but needed extra-time to overcome Mexico in the second round.

Germany have a negative record against Argentina, winning five, drawing four and losing seven of their previous encounters. Recent results have also not been encouraging. Since West Germany defeated Argentina in the 1990 World Cup final in Rome, Germany have lost twice, in 1993 and 2002, and drawn twice last year, once in the Confederations Cup.

However Klinsmann can take heart from other statistics: in 16 World Cup matches against South American sides, Germany have only lost twice. Both those defeats came in finals - against Argentina in 1986 and Brazil in the 2002 finals. The Germans also have a strong record in World Cup quarter-finals, with seven victories, three defeats and a draw (with a victory on penalties).

For Klinsmann, a member of the 1990 World Cup-winning side, there appears to be a lot more at stake in Friday's match.

In a German newspaper interview Thursday he said a defeat to Argentina would again encourage the sceptics who criticise his methods and attacking playing philosophy.

The outcome of the quarter-final could influence his decision on whether to extend his contract after the World Cup.

'For a nation like us who have been three times world champions and three times European champions it is a logical aim to want to reach the final of a World Cup in your own country,' he said.

'If someone else is satisfied with another aim whether it be the last 16 or the quarter-finals then that is up them. I am not, and neither is the team,' he said.

Klinsmann says Germany are now far stronger than they were a year ago when his side drew 2-2 with Argentina in the Confederations Cup. Neither captain Michael Ballack nor striker Miroslav Klose played in that game.

'We were only at top level for 70 minutes, now we can go full out for 120 minutes if necessary,' he said.

Klinsmann is not expected to change his winning team. Both Ballack and Klose have recovered from slight injuries which prevented them training with the team on Tuesday.

Pekermann was meanwhile giving nothing away on his team selection, but a surprise - perhaps Lionel Messi starting up front - was not being ruled out in the German camp.

Former great Diego Maradona visited the squad Wednesday evening to give the players some tips, but striker Javier Saviola said the players knew what they had to do. 'We have to play our game at 100 per cent,' he said.

In Berlin, told by an Argentinian journalist that Saviola saw his side's chances as 60-40, German captain Michael Ballack replied: 'I see it exactly like that as well, only the other way round.'

Probable line-ups:

Germany: Lehmann - Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm - Schneider, Frings, Ballack, Schweinsteiger - Klose, Podolski.

Argentina: Abbondanzieri - Sorin, Heinze, Ayala, Burdisso - Maxi Rodriguez, Mascherano, Riquelme, Lucho Gonzalez - Crespo, Saviola.