Germany are bracing themselves for a speedy Socceroos assault when the two sides kick off their Confederations Cup campaign.
The world champions face Australia on Monday night (Tuesday 1am AEST) in Sochi and expect to face a team of counter-attackers uninterested in holding the ball.
The Socceroos have a win, a draw and a loss against the Germans under Joachim Low’s management.
Germany brutalised Australia in a 4-0 drubbing at the World Cup in 2010 but the following year Holger Osieck led Australia to a surprise 2-1 friendly win over his homeland.
In their most recent meeting, Ange Postecoglou’s 2015 Asian Cup winners drew 2-2 in their first game after winning their continental crown.
Low said a steely defence would be essential in getting an edge over Australia.
“We need our defence to be stable and compact because Australia is a very good attacking team with very fast players. They’re also moving in their forward positions,” he said on Sunday.
Low promised to change up his tactics and teams through the tournament, which Germany regards as preparation for their World Cup defence in 2018.
Having left captain and first-choice goalkeeper Manuel Neuer at home, he nominated Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno to play against the Socceroos.
The gloveman, an ex-teammate of Robbie Kruse, echoed his manager’s thoughts on Australia’s key strength.
“Australia will be playing very quickly. They have a dynamic team on the field I’m sure,” he said.
“Robbie Kruse or Mathew Leckie are really fast players and we know them from the Bundesliga.
“They’ll leave the ball to us and will counter-attack.”
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