Against the no nonsense US defense, Loew will again need mobile strikers such as Mario Goetze or Lukas Podolski up front - the latter may make his first appearance in the starting line-up in Brazil. One of Goetze or Mesut Oezil might well take up a place on the bench despite Loew being a fan of Oezil. Centre forward Miroslav Klose will most likely keep his "joker role" as Thomas Mueller seems to offer more variety in the spearhead.

GERMANY TAKES IT SERIOUS

The Germans are taking USA very seriously as Thomas Mueller and Loew's reactions show. "It can be all over very quickly at the World Cup. We have to be fully concentrated every second," said Mueller.

And Loew is also very positive. "Much more important than any discussion about the starting eleven or particular positions are the thoughts in players' heads," said Loew who continued, "It means they have to be on full alert at all times. It all starts in one's head."

BOTH ONLY NEED A POINT

Despite all the discussions about Lahm and his teammates, Loew does not feel he has to panic.

"I see things from the inside and I'm confident. Things get really tough as soon as the group matches are over and every single mistake means you are on your way home," warned Loew who knows that both his German team and Klinsmann's USA only need a point to qualify for the knock-out stages.