Germany face Armenia

Germany will conclude their preparations for Brazil on Friday with a friendly against Armenia in Mainz. Fitness concerns remain, however, surrounding goalkeeper Manuel Neuer who won't train until the team arrives in South America on Saturday.

Neuer was left out of the German side that faced Cameroon on Sunday, as his recovery from a shoulder problem lasts longer than planned - but there is "no doubt" the keeper will have regained fitness in time for the Portugal clash on June 16.

The squad returned to Düsseldorf on Sunday after a training camp in South Tyrol that lasted 10 days and helped to improve the physical condition of the team. Several warm-up games against the accompanying U20 squad proved to be a decent preparation.

The team went its separate ways on Monday afternoon - but Lahm, Neuer and Schweinsteiger returned to Munich and spent the half-week with the Bayern medical staff.

One final training session takes place in Mainz - which is hosting an international match for the first time - before the last game against the Armenians.

"Lahm and Bastian have no problems any more and they have been training with the ball," Löw said on Thursday.

"They will have some playing time. What is important though is that they are problem-free. Maybe it makes no sense to play the entire 90 minutes but exactly how long is something I will decide this evening."

"Preparations, from my point of view, have worked out very well with the players we had. I also think it was important for the players to rest a couple of days (this week), for them to recover some energy."

Germany must sharpen up

Löw and his players have been on the defensive this week following Sunday's 2-2 draw with Cameroon in Mönchengladbach.

The Germans lacked thrust and energy in attack, with Mesut Özil, for one, on the end of some strong criticism over his performances for the national team. The Arsenal attacking-midfielder has been struggling for confidence in recent months, but his coach was quick to protect the 25-year-old.

"To be honest I am a bit surprised by the reaction against Mesut," Löw added at the pre-match press conference.

"Mesut won German national team player of the year last season but it is clear that he has not performed to the fullest of his abilities in the past few games."

Matches against Chile, meanwhile, highlighted how vulnerable the team remains in defensive positions, as the South Americans somehow failed to secure even a draw in Stuttgart, having dominated most of the proceedings.

In other matches, a lackluster touch in the attacking-third has appeared the largest threat to Germany's hopes of winning a fourth World Cup.

The DFB team fired a blank against Poland in Hamburg, whilst the Cameroon defense was rarely questioned with conviction. The introduction of Lukas Podolski carried some intent in attacking positions and the Arsenal attacker was pivotal in Germany's turnaround, before Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting equalized.

Armenia, with Borussia Dortmund's Henrikh Mkhitaryan in their ranks, won't be heading to the World Cup themselves, but will still offer sturdy opposition for the Germans. The feeling around the team's chances has been negative - perhaps realistic - and many are expecting Germany to return from Brazil empty-handed.

That should do little to qualm the enthusiasm of the fans on Friday who will demand a strong victory to round-off World Cup preparations.

rd/hc (DPA, SID, AFP)