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Germany meets England in Bloemfontein (Mangaung) today (Sunday) The prize? A spot in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

One of soccer’s greatest rivalries will be renewed Sunday in Bloemfontein with a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup on the line.

Fifth World Cup Germany v England Meeting

This will be the fifth World Cup meeting between England and Germany, and they have been tied after 90 minutes in each of the previous four. So it is no wonder that penalty shootouts and goal keeping wizardry are much talked about topics in both the England and German camps.

Penalty Shootouts

Of their 27 meetings, England leads with 12 wins with five ending in a draw. And wearing their Red shirts, England will run on the field today feeling confident – although England have never won under a Uruguayan referee.

Telegraph.co.uk reports that David James’s German counterpart, Manuel Neuer, talks of playing the “memory game” if Sunday’s World Cup round of 16 game climaxes in a shoot-out. This involves Neuer remembering all the advice from the German technical staff on which way to dive for which player. At the last World Cup, Jens Lehmann frustrated Argentina by checking on their players’ preference from a slip of paper shoved down his sock.

James and the players are not as obsessed with the history of the fixture as everybody is outside the dressing room. “The one comment [between players] that has been made is, ‘What about Berlin – we beat them 2-1′. So there was an achievement [in 2008] that a large nucleus of this group of players have been involved in. So we are talking about our achievement.”

Germany vs England – Old Rivalry on the Football Field

It is true; few rivalries in sport capture the imagination quite as much as encounters between England and Germany on the football field.

Events away from the pitch may have added to the feud over the years, but these two old adversaries having been locking horns for well over 100 years.

The origins of this iconic clash can be traced all the way back to 1899, when England faced German opposition for the very first time.

Whatever happens, the fixture in Bloemfontein is sure to offer top-drawer entertainment – so to get you in mood skysports.com has trawled the archives to offer up a selection of memorable England versus Germany contests from years gone by. Take a look at England vs. Germany FIFA World Cup 2010: History and Preview of Old Rivalry.

Group C Matches

England has made it through, but not in a brilliant fashion. They drew 1-1 with USA in their opener, drew 0-0 to Algeria and beat Slovenia 1-0 to finish second in Group C. They showed an inability to transfer their displays on the training pitch into high-pressure situations.

Germany opened with a crushing 4-0 win over Australia, but lost to Serbia 1-0 and beat Ghana 1-0 to book their knockout with England.

Paul the Psychic Octopus predicts a Germany win – read all about this suckerfooted pundit and his predictions.

England vs Germany Game Heavily Policed

The Germany vs England match will be one of the most heavily policed of the 2010 World Cup with previous fixtures having attracted large numbers of hooligans.

The last time the pair met in a major competition a decade ago during the European championships in Belgium, the streets of Charleroi were reduced to a battle zone as more than 500 fans were arrested during two days of violence.

Never Underestimate England

Although the Germans have looked much sharper on the field throughout the 2010 World cup so far, it would be a terrible mistake to underestimate England just because they had a few problems in their group. They will raise their game for the knockout matches. It is known that England starts slowly in the World Cup and like then or not, only a fool would underestimate an England team with Wayne Rooney up front, and have Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in midfield.

Germany – Youngest Squad in 76 Years

Die Nationalmannschaft’s youngest FIFA World Cup squad in 76 years boasts obvious potential nonetheless, with Mesut Ozil stepping in spectacularly for the injured Michael Ballack, and they will be keen to show they can be every bit as ruthless as their illustrious forebears in the business end of the competition.

Germany Injuries

Germany striker Cacau has been ruled out with a stomach muscle injury so Miroslav Klose, who is available again after suspension, will come back into the side.

Coach Joachim Loew has concerns over key midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger following the hamstring strain he picked up against Ghana. Jerome Boateng is troubled by a calf strain and could be replaced by Holger Badstuber.

On Yellow Cards (one game from suspension)

Germany: Cacau, Khedira, Lahm, Oezil, Mueller, Schweinsteiger
England: Gerrard, Johnson, Milner

Venue: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein (Mangaung) Date: Sun, 27 June Kick-off: 16:00 local time

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