Soccer: Nervous Germans face the unknown

SAPPORO - Germany will venture into the unknown when they challenge Saudi Arabia in their opening match tonight.

The triple world champions do not really know what to expect from their first opponents in group E or from the tournament as a whole.

Once among the automatic favourites, the troubled heavyweights have lost a handful of valued players in the build-up to the finals, and head coach Rudi Voeller has remained cautious by naming the knockout stage as their minimal aim.

Captain Oliver Kahn has been more upbeat, saying he does not rule out a great show from a team desperate to bounce back from their disastrous campaign at Euro 2000, when they disappeared after the group stage in their worst overall performance at a major event.

"The first game is absolutely decisive because it gives the impulse for the entire tournament," said Kahn, the Bayern Munich goalkeeper.

"We must treat this as a final. In no way will we be taking Saudi Arabia lightly."

Germany, who will then play Ireland and Cameroon in group E, have met the "Sons of the Desert" only once, beating them 3-0 in a friendly international in 1998.

Saudi Arabia have improved since, as they showed by winning the Gulf Cup in January before beating three fellow finalists - South Africa, Uruguay and Senegal - in their preparations for the World Cup.

Germany's key playmaker, Michael Ballack, who carries much of the team's hopes in the absence of fellow creative midfielders Sebastian Deisler and Mehmet Scholl, should start the match despite being still hampered by a bruised foot.

Voeller, whose two main central defenders, Jens Nowotny and Christian Woerns, have been ruled out of the World Cup by injury, will also be without Marko Rehmer. The right back hurt a thigh muscle when Germany crushed a regional junior side 10-0 in their final warm-up game last Sunday.

Talented young forward Miroslav Klose, who has scored eight goals including two hat-tricks in 12 outings for Germany, should start up front alongside Carsten Jancker.

Saudi Arabia, who reached the knockout stage on their World Cup debut in 1994 but failed to survive their group four years ago, will rely chiefly on their spectacular goalkeeper, Mohammed al-Deayea, and veteran striker Sami Al-Jaber.

"Our secret weapon is the Saudi attitude - our refusal to lose," said Prince Turki bin Khalid, head of the national team delegation. "We consider the World Cup to be our stage to show the world our football and we have good faith in our players."

- REUTERS

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