Latvia v Germany: One decent performance into this tournament and Rudi Völler is suddenly having to cope with soaring expectation back at home.
In the wake of a strong display against the Dutch, who were somewhat fortunate to come away from the game with a draw (1-1), Germany's coach was being asked yesterday about the margin of victory he expected in today's game against Group D minnows Latvia.
He didn't look impressed.
"We accept we are favourites for the game," said Völler, "but at this stage to start talking about goal difference would be foolish.
"Most importantly we have to win this game and the first thing we have to do if we to are achieve that is to remember that the Latvians did not arrive here by accident."
Both managers have full squads available to choose from and so each could field an unchanged side for the match.
Völler is the more likely to do so although there is some speculation that he will replace Bayer Leverkusen's right-sided midfielder Bernd Schneider, possibly with rising 19-year-old star Bastian Schweinsteiger.
"We will have more possession in this game," predicted Völler, "but we need to show more initiative than we did against the Dutch.
"It will be difficult but if we do that then it can be a good game for us."
For Völler's opposite number, Aleksandrs Starkovs, the aim is presumably to return home with something to show for the team's three games and today's encounter perhaps offers more hope of a point than did the opening game against the Czechs.
"We didn't just come here to make up the numbers," said Starkovs bullishly, "and we are still confident that we can make an impact."
Few others will be confident of that but the game should at least tell us a little bit more about whether this German team are really better than expected or simply capable of raising their game when it comes to playing their bitter rivals.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS
LATVIA (4-4-2): Kolinko; Isakovs, Stepanovs, Zemlinskis, Blagonadezdins; Bleidelis, Pahars, Astafjevs, Rubins; Prohorenkovs, Verpakovskis.
GERMANY (4-4-2): Kahn; Friedrich, Woerns, Nowotny, Lahm; Hamann, Schneider, Ballack, Frings; Kuranyi, Bobic.
Referee: M Riley (England).
