IT MAY sound difficult to believe, but the facts cannot be denied: Northern Ireland have not lost to a German team for 19 years. Five nil was the scoreline in Cologne in 1977 but on the four occasions the two have met since, twice Northern Ireland have won and two games have been drawn.
That impressive history, however, is about all the Irish will have on their side in Nuremberg this afternoon because form, quality, depth and common sense suggest that their near two decade record will be over by this evening.
Germany enter this World Cup qualifier having crushed Armenia 5-1 in Jerevan last month, and as this is also Germany's first home game since winning Euro 96, the mood is expectant.
That is especially the case when Northern Ireland's opening two group results are considered, a home defeat by Ukraine followed by a poor draw with Armenia.
The words "five" and "nil" could well be in for another outing, but Bryan Hamilton is nothing if not an optimist.
"I watched the German team very closely when they beat Armenia 5-1 in their opening match, both in terms of preparation and playing," said Hamilton, who knows that a defeat will kill any hope of qualification following a 1-0 loss to the Ukraine and a 1-1 draw with Armenia.
"It goes without saying that I was impressed but, what struck me most of all was the fact that despite their great individuals, the emphasis is always on team work and togetherness.
"That's something I have tried hard to instill into my players. When we haven't got the ball we must defend as a team and when we have got the ball we must go forward together.
"For me, team work is the most important aspect of the modern game. If we apply ourselves like we have done in recent years in places like Portugal, Dublin and Vienna then there's no reason why we can't come out of it with a result."
Hamilton looks set to shore up his defence with Gerry Taggart of Bolton coming back to play alongside Hill and Hunter.
Germany are without six regulars, including Sammer and Ziege all of whom are injured.
