Jurgen Klinsmann, the German captain, was traversing some familiar terrain on the eve of his country's World Cup quarter-final meeting with Croatia in Lens this evening.

Klinsmann, with the practised ease of a man who has been asked the same question on many occasions in his protracted career, was outlining his country's strengths in a straightforward fashion.

"We play fotball with our minds as well as our bodies, study the the style of our opponents and then try to work out the solution," he said. "And, yes, of course, we never give up. When the chance is there, we put on the pressure and keep building it up until the other team breaks. It doesn't aways work for us, but that is the way all German teams play."

Couched in those kind of terms, the philos0phy is simplicity itself. And yet, as the Croatians may discover before the day is done, it is still as effective as the day they recorded the first of their three World Cup triumphs in Berne in 1954.

The Croatians have acquired a reputation in their relatively short history as a football entity as abrasive opposition with a facility to grind out good results, even on those days when they are not playing particularly well.

It showed in that tough, tensely fought win over Romania and before that they had given Argentina a couple of uncomfortable moments before succumbing to a 1-0 defeat. Their latest assignment threatens to be more demanding still, but nobody, least of all German coach Berti Vogts, is prepared to sell them short.

"They are a difficult team to play against, strong and disciplined in defence and good enough to cause us problems in midfield," said Vogts. "Their finishing has not been of a similar standard, but many would say the same about the German team so far."

The point about the quality of Germany's attack is well made for while Klinsmann and Oliver Bierhoff have each come up with some good goals, the inescapable fact is that the link between midfield and the front two has not been as smooth as on other occasions in the past.

Nor are their problems restricted to the top end of the pitch for after Andreas Kopke's eccentric performances in earlier games, Vogts has a difficult goalkeeping decision to make when he announces his team shortly before kick-off.

Thomas Haessler, too, has not delivered on his reputation since that opening, flattering win over the United States and now the hope will be for a quicker, sharper buildup from midfield.

Defender Jurgen Kohler is expected to return after missing the Mexico game because of a calf strain and Thomas Helmer is also fit again to play in midfield after receiving a knock last Monday.

Vogts will keep veteran Lothar Matthaeus in the libero role and midfielder Andy Moeller, who has been a flop at the finals, is likely to be left on the bench. Probable Teams

Germany: Koepke, Matthaeus, Kohler, Woerns, Heinrich, Hamann, Helmer, Tarnat, Haessler, Klinsmann, Bierhoff

Croatia: Ladic, Stimac, Bilic, Jarni, Soldo, Asanovic, Boban, Stanic, Jurcic, Suker, Vlaovic.