Germany v Costa Rica
June 7 (Reuters) - Hosts Germany meet Costa Rica
in the opening match of the World Cup finals on Friday.
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
World Cup Capacity: 65,000
When: Friday June 9, 1800 local (1600 GMT)
Referee: Horacio Elizondo (Argentina)
Teams: Likely formation; shirt numbers, name, caps, goals:
Germany (4-4-2):
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: Juergen Klinsmann
Costa Rica (3-5-2):
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 are 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 U.S. 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.
Previous World Cup meetings:
No previous meetings
Next matches:
Poland v Ecuador, June 9 Gelsenkirchen
Germany v Poland, June 14 Dortmund
Ecuador v Costa Rica, June 15 Hamburg
Ecuador v Germany, June 20 Berlin
Costa Rica v Poland, June 20 Hanover
