No quarter given in Halmstad

A draw would take Germany into the semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship and see England progress as Group B winners, but those anticipating a drop in intensity between these rivals when they meet in Halmstad are likely to be sorely mistaken.

Progress assured
Both have beaten Finland, and England also dispatched Spain in their last outing to secure progress to the last four with a match to spare. Germany have four points and one more would guarantee they join Stuart Pearce's men in the knockout stage. Any thoughts of each side being satisfied with a draw were swiftly banished at the pre-match press conferences, however, with Germany playmaker Mesut Özil summing up the mood by predicting a "very exciting" contest. "The team knows what it's all about now," said his coach Horst Hrubesch. "We take every situation step by step. The team has improved in training over the past few days, we're working well together and I'm absolutely convinced we're going to win."

Yellow peril
Sebastian Boenisch is still sidelined with an ankle problem so Marcel Schmelzer will continue at left-back, while Gonzalo Castro (right thigh) and Jerome Boateng (back) are expected to shrug off minor injuries. In addition no fewer than ten players – seven of them German – would miss a possible semi-final should they be booked at Örjans vall, but Hrubesch will not let that influence his thinking. "This changes nothing, it's not my first thought to avoid yellow cards or suspensions," the coach explained. "Everyone has to be at their best, and I'm only interested in the victory. Nothing else counts."

'Big, big fixture'
The teams last met in October 2006 when two late goals from Theo Walcott in Leverkusen gave England a 2-0 victory in the second leg of their play-off for the 2007 final tournament and completed a 3-0 overall success. Stuart Pearce, a loser to Germany in the semi-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup and EURO '96™ , is expecting another fierce contest. "England versus Germany is a big, big fixture," the manager said. "I've lost two major semi-finals to very good German sides. I can't do much about that now; my players can. Germany are a high-energy side, two attacking full-backs and Özil has been outstanding up front for them. They're a big, powerful side and good on set-plays. They'll be a handful for us and a big test, but it's got to be a game the squad are looking forward to."

Strength in depth
Pearce, whose only injury concerns surround Gabriel Agbonlahor (calf) and Micah Richards (knee), has the luxury of knowing progress is assured regardless of the result and may opt to introduce players who have not featured so far. Winning, though, remains his priority. "Whatever the team is is irrelevant; I expect a big performance and to win. The squad have got a real collectiveness, a real sense of wanting to improve and that excites me. I'm pleased with what we've got but if you ask me can we get better – yes we can. Have the players got an attitude to get better? They certainly have. I want to keep the momentum that we're gaining."