Lothar Matthaus will start again today in a German defence hoping to keep pace with a striker who is 19 years younger than him, one Michael Owen. However, both sides will look noticeably different from the ones that disappointed at the start of the week.
When Erich Ribbeck named his side yesterday he had made four changes, with Thomas Hassler apparently sacrificed. Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann comes in for the Munich 1860 midfielder while 20-year-old Sebastian Deisler starts out wide in midfield with Marcus Babbel reverting to defence and Thomas Linke to the bench.
Oliver Bierhoff's injury meant there had to be at least one change there but Ribbeck has gone for two instead. Paulo Rink is dropped so in comes fit again Ulf Kirsten who will be partnered by Carsten Jancker.
England's answer to the mauling they got on Monday is to bring in Dennis Wise and Martin Keown in an attempt to stiffen up the familiar 4-4-2 formation. On the strength of
Germany's performance against Romania, England won't have men waltzing through their midfield the way Portugal did but whether they can score their first competitive win over Germany since 1966 is quite another thing.
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