It doesn’t get any tougher than this

Tonight’s match against Germany in Cologne is as tough as it gets at international level, with a win for the hosts guaranteeing their inevitable place at the World Cup finals next summer in Brazil.

I say inevitable because this nation always seems to qualify for major tournaments at a relative canter, but in recent years German football has evolved to such an extent that their two biggest sides — Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund — contested the Champions League final in May, with most of the players on show also represented in the national team.

In football terms, Germany have long been admired as workman-like, efficient, even a touch robotic but this latest side has added another dimension to their game which sees them right up there alongside Spain as the finest side in the world.