June 7 - Hosts Germany meet Costa Rica in the opening match of the World Cup finals on Friday.
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Capacity: 65 000
When: Friday, June 9, 6pm SA time
Referee: Horacio Elizondo (Argentina)
Teams: Likely formation; shirt numbers, name, caps, goals:
Germany:
1-Jens Lehmann (32-0); 3-Arne Friedrich (36-0), 21-Christoph
Metzelder (22-0), 17-Per Mertesacker (23-1), 16-Phillip Lahm
(18-1); 18-Bernd Schneider (64-1), 8-Torsten Frings (52-7),
13-Michael Ballack (65-31), 7-Bastian Schweinsteiger (28-7);
20-Lukas Podolski (25-12), 11-Miroslav Klose (25-12)
Coach: Jurgen Klinsmann
Costa Rica:
18-Jose Francisco Porras (16-0); 4-Michael Umana (18-0),
3-Luis Marin (120-5), 12-Leonardo Gonzalez (36-0); 20-Douglas
Sequeira (29-2), 5-Gilberto Martinez (57-0), 8-Mauricio Solis
(107-6), 10-Walter Centeno (93-15), 6-Danny Fonseca (22-2);
11-Ronald Gomez (80-23), 9-Paulo Wanchope (69-43)
Coach: Alexandre Guimaraes
Team News:
Suspended: Germany's Mike Hanke (two games) for being sent
off in their final match at last year's Confederations Cup.
Injured: There appear to be no serious injuries for either
team but Germany captain Michael Ballack has been rested from
training and is trying to shake off a calf strain.
Doubtful: The only doubt appears to be Ballack, although he
is expected to play.
General:
Costa Rica is at full strength with leading marksman Paulo
Wanchope and defender Gilberto Martinez shrugging off nagging
knee problems. Talented young midfielder Carlos Hernandez has
not impressed in warm-up matches and is set to be sacrificed in
favour of the more defensive-minded Danny Fonseca.
Germany have been world champions three times but are not
among the favourites here. Coach Klinsmann needs a convincing
win over Costa Rica to generate the fervent public backing that
helped them finish third at the Confederations Cup.
Costa Rica coach Guimaraes is likely to opt for a 3-5-2
formation, packing his midfield in a bid to stifle the hosts and avert the prospect of a heavy defeat in front of a worldwide
audience.
Key quotes:
Germany midfielder Michael Ballack: "We've watched a video
of their game against the US and Costa Rica played very, very
well, dominating the game. They were very impressive and I can
assure you we'll be taking them very seriously indeed."
Costa Rica coach Guimaraes: "We are not worried about what
is being said about us. We are only concerned with ourselves,
doing well in the World Cup and that is what we are here for.
Key stats:
Germany have never lost a competitive match against a team
from North or Central America.
Costa Rica are not expected to beat Germany but they have
won their opening matches at both their previous World Cups
beating Scotland 1-0 in 1990 and China 2-0 in 2002.
Germany striker Miroslav Klose celebrates his 28th birthday
on Friday. He scored a hat-trick of headers on his World Cup
debut, an 8-0 win over Saudi Arabia four years ago, and finished the tournament with five goals - all from headers.
