Klinsman Ready To Be Tough
Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann says his side will come out fighting against Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals later on today.
And Klinsmann has promised a physical encounter, adding “We are ready for an almighty fight - and to win it.”
“We will go into the match full of aggression and passion and then we will see how Argentina respond.”
The game in Berlin will evoke memories of 1986 and 1990 when West Germany and Argentina met in successive World Cup finals.
A Diego Maradona-inspired Argentina won 3-2 in 1986 but four years later Klinsmann was in the German team that triumphed 1-0 in Rome.
This time, Klinsmann’s side have kept three consecutive clean sheets on their path to the last eight.
And the former striker said: “Both countries have huge expectations. We know we need to go to the limits to win and we are ready to do that.”
“It is special to play against Argentina - one of the best teams in the world. We go into this game full of energy and full of optimism.”
“I would not say we are overconfident but we have a lot of self-belief.”
“From what I have seen of the other countries in this tournament, we do not need to hide from anyone.”
His strikers are also firing, with Miroslav Klose topping the goalscoring charts on four, while partner Lukas Podolski has three.
Playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme is seen as the man that makes Argentina tick but the Germans say he will not be man-marked.
“We cannot make the mistake of concentrating on one player as Argentina have a lot of players that can decide the game,” said Germany’s defensive midfielder Torsten Frings.
“I cannot imagine running around after Riquelme for 90 minutes.”
Despite failing to beat a recognised top nation since October 2000 - when they defeated England 1-0 in the final match at Wembley Stadium - Germany have a growing belief.
Captain Michael Ballack said: “We do not fear anyone. Argentina are a top-class team and deserve our respect but we are confident of beating them to reach the semi-final.”