The Germans go into this tournament without Michael Ballack, a player that has featured for the team in the past five major competitions. It's clear that they are a weaker outfit without the Chelsea midfielder, although Bastian Schweinsteiger's conversion from wide man to a central role has happened at precisely the right time.

The Bayern Munich player stepped up to the plate with a recent brace against Bosnia and will drive the team forward as they look to go one better than their final placing at Euro 2008. Miroslav Klose may not have had a great domestic season but always seems to produce the goods when it matters, while the same applies to Lukas Podolski.

Australia will adopt a conservative 4-5-1 formation aimed at nullifying the opposition, with either Josh Kennedy or Harry Kewell occupying the striker position. Anything from this game will be judged a bonus with matches against Serbia and Ghana on the horizon.

PREDICTION: GERMANY TO WIN 1-0 OR 2-0 (7.0 with Ladbrokes and 6.5 with bet365)