Germany may have turned in the most impressive effort of the World Cup with its performance in its Group D opener, but it expects the tournament to get much tougher - starting with Friday's matchup against desperate Serbia in Port Elizabeth.
The Germans answered questions about their inexperience with a 4-0 rout of Australia on Sunday, with struggling strikers Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose among the four scorers.
"We earned respect for ourselves," said Klose, who increased his career total in the World Cup to 11 goals. "It was hugely important to win the first game, but nothing is won yet. We're a young team and we have fun playing."
Serbia, meanwhile, was considered a dark horse in the group before a 1-0 loss to Ghana on Saturday. Aleksander Lukovic was sent off in the second half and a deliberate handball by Zdravko Kuzmanovic led to a penalty kick for the lone goal of the match.
Those results mean that a loss by Serbia to Germany and a win by Ghana over Australia on Saturday will eliminate the Serbs.
"We'll really have to watch out, they will be motivated and hot," Germany midfielder Sami Khedira said.
While the German team is entirely based domestically, Serbia has numerous players who have experience in Germany. Midfielder Gojko Kacar and forward Marko Pantelic were formerly teammates at Hertha BSC with Germany central defender Arne Friedrich.
"We know the players they have, some are from the (German) Bundesliga. We got off to a good start but this is going to be a different number," defender Holger Badstuber said.
The Serbs do not believe their familiarity with the Germans will give them a big advantage.
"Yes, we play in Germany, and their players also play in Germany," Kacar said. "Most of their players play for Bayern (Munich). Look at how Bayern played last season. They were awesome. So the national side is also in good shape. But we believe in ourselves to produce a positive result."
Serbia will have to replace the suspended Lukovic in the lineup, meaning defender Neven Subotic could receive his first start. The Serbs will also have to find a way to get their attack untracked.
The German defense was barely threatened against Australia but expects a challenge against 6-foot-8 Serbian striker Nikola Zigic. Pantelic is Zigic's partner up front.
"We will have to win those balls laid on by Zigic," Khedira said.
No changes are expected for "Die Mannschaft" after the impressive opener. Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger should be fit to play despite missing two practice sessions because of a cold.
Germany has won both all-time matchups with Serbia and Serbia & Montenegro.
"They have been affected by the loss to Ghana. But they are a very strong team," Germany coach Joachim Loew said. "They can dominate and dictate a match and they have to win, which makes them such a dangerous opponent."
