Opening Skirmishes in War of Words: England and Germany Prepare for World Cup Battle

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"Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win," were the immortal words of England striker Gary Linekar after his team lost to West Germany on penalties in the 1990 World Cup semi-finals.

England are hoping to buck that trend on Sunday. Their win against Slovenia on Wednesday put them in second place in their group and set up what one British newspaper has described as a "mouth-watering clash" with arch rivals Germany.

And already the familiar war of words has opened up between the two countries with the first salvos coming from the usual suspects -- the tabloid press.

First British mass circulation The Sun ran a headline on its website on Wednesday night: "Get ready for Germ warfare -- the old enemy have set up a Last 16 clash with England." In another article analyzing Germany's 1:0 defeat of Ghana, which put it top of its group, the paper wrote: "Bring on the Germans -- on this evidence they look like Lahms to the slaughter" (a pun on team captain Philipp Lahm's name.)

'Burnt Out' and 'Tired'

The charge on the German side has been led by that old warhorse of football Franz Beckenbauer. In a column in mass circulation Bild on Thursday he argued that England had "stupidly" come second in their group meaning that the two teams are meeting at the Last 16 stage. "The game unfortunately is coming far too early." He added that the English players seemed "burnt out" and "tired" while the German team seemed "physically in better shape."

"Of course we respect them," the veteran of West Germany's winning World Cup side in 1974 said. "But we certainly don't fear them." His comments have already been widely reported in the British media. Beckenbauer, known as The Kaiser back home, did admit that England have dangerous players who sense this could be their last chance to win a World Cup. "England against Germany -- they were always the biggest, most unforgettable games in our history," he added, concluding: "It will certainly be a great football battle."

Beckenbauer had already launched broadsides against the England squad and manager during the tournament after the old foes started their group poorly, only managing a draw against US. Germany's confidence, on the other hand, was soaring after their 4:0 drubbing of Australia in the opening match but a defeat at the hands of Serbia brought jitters to the German camp.

Looking Forward to a 'Classic'

The fact that the Germans managed to defeat a strong Ghana team on Wednesday under considerable pressure will bode well for the young team.

On Wednesday night, Mesut Özil, who scored the winning goal, admitted that the match on Sunday against old rivals England would be difficult. "They are clearly stronger than Ghana and they will give us a harder game." But he argued that his team was "extremely strong" and he was sure they could win.

Team captain Philipp Lahm, one of the best players on the pitch against Ghana, told the ARD TV channel on Wednesday night that the duel against England is a "classic" and that the team was "really looking forward to it."

Coach Joachim Löw is also relishing the clash. "Playing England is always very special for us and this is a wonderful opportunity," he said on Wednesday. He argued that while the English side had not shown great form so far in South Africa "it still has fantastic players like Lampard, Gerrard, and of course Rooney. This team is incredibly dangerous."

'It Starts Here -- It's a Knockout'

English midfielder Frank Lampard argues that the next rounds of the World Cup are very different from the opening group stage. "We've seen many times with big teams that you often start these tournaments a bit cagey but come good and strong," he said on Wednesday. "It starts here -- it's a knockout. How you played in the group didn't mean anything."

The last World Cup meeting between these two giants of European football was way back in 1990 when England was eliminated in the semi-finals after losing on penalties. West Germany went on to beat Argentina in the finals. It was déjà vu in the European Championships in 1996, with Germany again beating England on penalties in the semi-final before going on to win the tournament.

England meanwhile holds on desperately to the historic win in 1966 when it beat West Germany in the final 4:2. With renewed confidence some of the England players are now claiming they can go all the way again. Germany will be trying to make sure that they trample all over those dreams on Sunday in Bloemfontein.