As ever, Germany will be a genuine contender at the World Cup this summer…
Germany are considered by many as one of the strongest European teams at the World Cup this summer, and Joachim Löw has a highly talented squad at his disposal.
Qualifying couldn’t have been much simpler for the Germans having dropped just two points in their group and scoring 36 goals in their 10 matches in the process.
Their efficiency and consistency are well documented, as is the talent in their squad and that is undoubtedly why many are tipping them for success this summer.
Amongst their stars is Marco Reus, with the Dortmund star scoring 16 goals and putting on a league-high 13 assists last season as he continues to develop into one of the best attackers in European football.
Add that threat to the likes of Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller, and Die Mannschaft have goals in abundance with Miroslav Klose still going strong and looking to add to his World Cup tally.
In addition, that is all based on their strength in defence with Manuel Neuer organising a solid back-four consisting of Mat Hummels and Per Mertesacker in the centre with Philipp Lahm able to play on either flank and Erik Durm expected to occupy the other.
Much like Italy, the Germans have generally been able to always find a way of progressing in the big tournaments on a consistent basis, and that is the case even when they are not considered as a strong contender.
Nevertheless, they are amongst the favourites this time round, and despite the absence of Mario Gomez who has been blighted by injuries throughout his first season with Fiorentina, Mario Gotze has made a case of being the ideal foil off the bench after an impressive start to life with Bayern Munich.
The German international picked up more goals and assists as a substitute in the Bundesliga than any other player, and while some believe that he could be used in the starting line-up, he has arguably proven that he is a real danger off the bench and is most useful in that role.
Naturally, there is a strong Bayern presence in this team, and if they are able to use their familiarity with one another at this level then it will only help them overcome their rivals in the form of Portugal, Ghana and USA in Group G.
While that is a tough group to come out of, Germany are well placed and talented enough to do a professional job and advance to the knock-out stages where anything could happen.
Expected Germany starting line-up for the World Cup:
