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The Soccer Classic: Germany vs. England

Germany will face an England out for revenge, as both sides near the end of their campaigns to reach the World Cup finals.

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The World Cup qualifier between Germany and England on September 1 at Bayern Munich's Olympic Stadium comes at a decisive moment for the hosts. Germany is six points clear of England in group nine and can book their ticket to Japan and South Korea by beating Sven Goran Eriksson's side.

The German team also has an enviable record on home territory, where they have not lost to an England side since 1965, along with a psychological edge after their 1-0 victory at Wembley last October.

The classic battle

Clashes between these two sides are among the classics of world football, alongside Brazil's battles with Italy and Argentina, and are therefore all the more unpredictable.

Though the odds are stacked in Germany's favour, only a fool would consider the outcome of Saturday's game a foregone conclusion. And German coach Rudi Völler, for one, is no fool. "A game against England is a highlight," said the 1990 World Cup winner, who took over as national coach in the wake of Germany's debacle at Euro 2000.

Lookout for hooligans

Munich police will have 800 officers on duty for Saturday's match, including special anti-hooligan squads. A further 300 border guards will monitor train stations and airports.

German police will have about 50 hooligan-spotters mingling in the crowd to single out troublemakers, while British police were sending over 16 officers to identify English hooligans