DORTMUND, Germany -- With nothing to lose, Poland vowed to come out fighting against Germany when the two meet on Wednesday.

Poland dropped its opener to Ecuador 2-0, and now needs at least a draw from the Germans if it wants to keep alive hopes of advancing past the group stage.

While the Poles respect their bigger neighbors, they aren't thinking about a tie. They want a win.

"We know we have a very tough match ahead of us, but we're not afraid of them," said team captain Jacek Bak. "We need to be more engaged, to attack more and to concentrate more in defense. We are definitely playing for three points, and we have nothing to lose."

"They have a very good team, a very good attack with Klose, Podolski, Ballack," Bak said. "But it's known they are a bit weaker in the defense. Maybe there will be a chance for us to score."

After averaging almost three goals a game in qualifying for the World Cup, Poland mustered only three shots against Ecuador in Gelsenkirchen and must attack more to beat Germany.

But Poland isn't up against only the Germans on Wednesday. The hosts, who sit atop Group A after beating Costa Rica 4-2 in their opener, also have history on their side.

The Poles have never beaten Germany in 14 tries, losing ten times and drawing four.

Asked about the daunting task of breaking Poland's losing streak to Germany, coach Pawel Janas said Tuesday that "we have to win sometime ... I hope it will happen tomorrow."

Poland was bitterly disappointed with its opening performance. The team had put extra significance on the opener after dropping their first match at the 2002 World Cup to South Korea. The loss to the co-host Koreans deflated the Polish side, who went on to lose its second game 4-0 to Portugal.

This year, Poland says mental lapses cost them against Ecuador, and veteran defender Michal Zewlakow said the Poles are now ready to show their class.

"We lost the first match mainly on the mental side," he said. "I think when we fix that, we will really show our character. We are going to fight."