Wednesday, June 28 2006 15:03 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Berlin: Germany is determined to bring out the best possible performance when they take on Argentina Thursday in the World Cup quarterfinal encounter.

"Of course, it is important for us to shut out this euphoria a bit until Thursday in order not to become self-satisfied," said German defender Christoph Metzelder.

"Then from Thursday evening, we have to utilise this euphoria, this emotion and go into the game and call up a top performance," he said. "What's decisive is this interplay of shutting out what is going on all around and then, on the day of the game itself, to soak up everything in order to bring out the best possible performance," he said.

There is tremendous excitement across Germany over the clash. Germany is in great form, and so is Argentina, but only one of them will be able to advance to the semis.

On the advantage of playing at home, Metzelder said, "Having these fans and this enthusiasm behind us is something which gives us a lot of impetus. You can't overlook the significance of what it means to play in your own country."

"It is a signal to the opponents who have noticed what's going on here, what's happening in the stadiums, what it means when we take an early lead, what develops," he said. Metzelder is not the only one in Juergen Klinsmann's squad who knows how to express his views. Yet, even among his more thoughtful teammates he is something of a rare species. Intelligent and articulate, he achieved his abitur equivalent to Britain's A-levels with flying colours and while trying to forge a footballing career took a correspondence course in business studies.

He is so assured in front of a microphone that he will probably never be short of job offers in the media once he retires from football.

Right now though, Metzelder is just enjoying being a footballer - and one privileged to be playing at a World Cup. Belief plays an important role for Metzelder.

A former altar boy, he is a member of a Roman Catholic student body and is committed to a number of social and charity projects. This year, he is acting as ambassador for the World Cup for the Mentally Handicapped.

Metzelder's belief carries over to what Germany can achieve at the World Cup. Against Argentina, they will now have to break a winless series against major footballing nations. That goes back to October 2000, almost a year before his debut in the national side. The series, however, means little to Metzelder.

"What is happening now has nothing to do with a normal international," he said. "We have an atmosphere at our backs which lifts us. We have great respect for Argentina but I think they also have great respect for us," he said. The success of the German team is down to Klinsmann, says Metzelder, who was picked for the World Cup squad even though he was unable to win a regular place in the Borussia Dortmund team last season.

Metzelder is now repaying Klinsmann's faith. Klinsmann was always "well ahead of the team with his thinking and his optimism and instilled things in us, which we could not believe or understand" at the time, said Metzelder. "Now, one has to say he has prepared us optimally for this event and given us self-confidence. As a player who did not play much in the second half of the season, he also instilled in me this confidence and self-belief," he said.