by Barry Whelan
Hamburg - Three-times World champions Germany will be on most people's list of favourites to win the tournament in 2010 after going through qualifying without defeat.
The emergence of younger players to join experienced campaigners such as Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose has given rise to cautious optimism that the national team could go far in South Africa.
Coach Joachim Loew's task will be to find the right blend of youth and experience amid belief that there is now more quality in depth than 2006 when Germany reached the semis or at Euro 2008 when the Germans again showed tournament mettle by reaching the final.
"The basis for a World Cup win is good," said Loew. "We have shown that we are capable of pulling out everything in games when it counts."
Werder Bremen's Mesut Ozil has added creativity to midfield, while others from the under-21 squad - including defenders Jerome Boateng (SV Hamburg) and Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim) or midfielder Marko Marin (Bremen) - are knocking on the door.
Loew also called up Bremen striker Aaron Hunt and Bayern Munich shooting star Thomas Mueller for recent friendly internationals against Chile and Ivory Coast, indicating there is still room for fresh faces.
The match against Chile was cancelled after the death of goalkeeper Robert Enke and Loew decided in the circumstances to leave Mueller with the under 21s but the 20-year-old could still feature when Germany meet Argentina in March.
The death of Enke, 32, who took his own life after suffering for many years from depression, was both a shock to German football and a blow for the nation's World Cup preparations.
The keeper had established himself as the nation's No.1 until a bacterial infection sidelined him shortly after the start of the season. He or Leverkusen's Rene Adler had been expected to get the nod as first choice in South Africa.
Now the choice looks more straightforward for Loew who also has Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04) and Tim Wiese (Bremen) as likely candidates for the squad.
The gradual change in the set-up will probably mean no place for stalwart Torsten Frings whose job in midfield has now been taken by Bayer Leverkusen's Simon Rolfes or Thomas Hitzlsperger.
Bayern's Philipp Lahm is a stand-out in an otherwise solid defence in which Per Mertesacker, Heiko Westermann and Arne Friedrich are regular starters.
Of the strikers, Bayern Munich striker Klose is a certainty, as is Cologne's Lukas Podolski who can play in a withdrawn role, while Bayern's Mario Gomez - despite failing to convince internationally so far - should be in the squad.
Stuttgart's Brazilian-born Cacau provides Loew with an alternative, while Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling is back in the frame after a strong start to the season.
The Coach: After a playing career in which he earned four under-21 caps and coaching jobs in the Bundesliga, Turkey and Austria, Joachim Loew was appointed assistant to Juergen Klinsmann before the 2006 World Cup.
He was the natural successor as head coach after Klinsmann stepped down and led Germany to the Euro 2008. Less charismatic than Klinsmann, Loew, 49, nevertheless shares the former coach's philosophy of taking the game to the opponents.
A tactically astute, thoughtful and analytical coach, he is a well-liked figure who is nonetheless not shy of taking tough decisions.
The Star: Michael Ballack, the 33-year-old Chelsea midfielder and Germany captain of the past five years remains the pivotal figure in the squad as he seeks to bow out in what could be his last international tournament with a first major title with his country.
Although winning league and cup titles at club level, it has too often been a tale of just missing out for Germany's talismanic skipper who made his Bundesliga debut for Kaiserslautern before moving to Bayer Leverkusen and then to Bayern Munich.
After 10 years as an international, close to 100 caps and appearances at two previous World Cups (losing finalist in 2002) and three European Championships (losing finalist in 2008), Germany's fortunes will once again depend on the form and fitness of the three-time German footballer of the year.
Factfile:
Nicknames: Die Mannschaft (The Team); Die DFB-Elf (The DFB-Eleven)
Founded: 1900
FIFA affiliation: 1904
Highest FIFA ranking: 1 - December 1992 (first achieved)
Lowest FIFA ranking: 23 - March 2006
Previous World Cup appearances: 16 (1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
Best World Cup performance: Winners (1954, 1974, 1990)
Date qualified for finals: October 10, 2009
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