There's plenty of history between England and Germany, but the current generation of players from these soccer-crazy nations are focusing on the present.
One of the sport's greatest rivalries will be renewed Sunday in Bloemfontein with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.
This will be the fifth World Cup meeting between England and Germany, and they've been tied after 90 minutes in each of the previous four.
England scored a disputed goal in extra time to win the 1966 World Cup final, Germany came from 2-0 down to win at the 1970 tournament, a 0-0 draw was contested in 1982 and Germany won a penalty shootout in the 1990 semifinals.
"This is year 2010 and these games will not mean very much," Germany defender Philipp Lahm insisted.
The Germans also defeated England on penalties at the 1996 European Championship, and have enjoyed a history of success in shootouts in this rivalry.
"If it goes to penalties, there's an opportunity for Germany to miss, so we are ready," England goalkeeper David James said.
Each team has claimed the other should be favored, and England won the last matchup 2-1 in a 2008 friendly in Berlin. Germany won Group D and England finished behind the United States in Group C.
"England is always England. It's a team with a lot of fighting spirit and very strong mentally, with incredible experience," coach Joachim Loew said. "The axis with John Terry, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney has the highest quality you can find in European football."
Germany has two major injury concerns, with midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger in doubt due to a thigh injury suffered in Wednesday's 1-0 win over Ghana. Defender Jerome Boateng will likely be out due to a calf problem.
"Bastian is the engine of our team, both in the offense and in defense," Loew said.
Toni Kroos could replace Schweinsteiger while striker Miroslav Klose is back from suspension and will likely be paired with Lukas Podolski.
England was disappointing in group play, opening with two draws before a 1-0 victory over Slovenia on Wednesday. Jermain Defoe scored in his first start replacing Emile Heskey, who was dropped from the lineup.
Rooney has yet to be a factor for England after scoring 26 Premier League goals for Manchester United. The superstar was replaced after 72 minutes in the Slovenia match due to a recurring ankle problem, but it appears he will start Sunday.
"Wayne Rooney can always explode," Loew said. "He has scored an incredible number of goals in the Premier League. This is going to be a huge job for our defense."
Former German great Franz Beckenbauer has called this matchup worthy of the semifinals, and the teams appear ready.
"It's another football match but obviously there will be a lot of external references and historical references," James said. "But for us, it's a game against a decent outfit and we have to win to progress."
