World Cup 2010: Germany juggernaut ready to roll against Australia

The most decorated country in Europe they may be but not many have expected much from Germany since they won their last trophy at Euro 96. Few pundits had them as a pre-tournament pick, even though their recent record is as good as it gets without winning a trophy: a World Cup final in 2002, a semi-final spot at home in 2006 and a European Championship final in 2008. Expectations are low – most fans would be happy enough with a place in the quarter-finals, maintaining a record of reaching at least that stage in every finals since 1954. But the rest of the field will be concerned at the bullish talk of Germany's captain, Philipp Lahm, who ahead of today's opening fixture, against Australia in Durban, has announced that Germany can improve on their impressive showing in the last two tournaments. "I think this is the best German team in which I have played," said Lahm, who at 26 will become his country's youngest World Cup captain after replacing the injured skipper, Michael Ballack. "There is even more confidence in the team because we did so well in the warm-up games, which was not the case back in 2006." Germany arrived in Pretoria on the back of three wins in a row, 3-1 against Bosnia-Herzegovina and 3-0 triumphs over Malta and Hungary. As well as hitting form at the right time, Germany have youth on their side. Joachim Löw's squad have an average age of just under 25 – their lowest at a World Cup since 1934. "We are a young and hungry team," Lahm said. "It's noticeable at every training session [that] the team trains with great enthusiasm and tempo. Today we have more players who will go on the attack during a 1-1 draw. We have more hands‑on types, not so typically German." Lahm, who has been enjoying a career revival at Bayern Munich, added: "We really want to start with a win. It will give the young team even more security. We can set the world alight, but winning the first game is absolutely imperative."