The German side which confronts the United States in their final group game on Thursday is that of Joachim Loew and not his predecessor and now USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann said Germany striker Thomas Mueller on Tuesday.
"We are playing against the United States, not Jurgen Klinsmann," said Mueller, who was given his Bayern Munich debut by the 49-year-old.
Klinsmann coached Germany, with Loew as his assistant, at the 2006 World Cup finals hosted by Germany and guided them to the semi-finals before leaving the post.
"There are still a few players from Klinsmann's time, but under Joachim Loew a new era has begun," said Mueller, who scored a hat-trick in their opening 4-0 thumping of Portugal.
"He has put his stamp on this team -- and we want to show that against the USA."
A draw in Recife would see the Germans qualify as group winners with the United States finishing runners up - sending Ghana and Portugal out of the competition.
Team manager Oliver Bierhoff, who worked with Klinsmann for two years, said their friendship will be forgotten for 90 minutes.
"As Jurgen himself said, 'It's all about business'. We will certainly greet him warmly before the game, but then focus solely on our job," said Bierhoff, who helped Germany win Euro '96 with Klinsmann as captain.
"We want to win. Everything else is uninteresting."
The fact a draw is of mutual benefit to both teams has draw comparisons with the 'Non-Aggression Pact of Gijon', which took place nearly 32 years ago to the day.
The scenario conjures up memories of the notorious 1982 World Cup group match in Spain, between West Germany and Austria.
Both teams qualified at the expense of Algeria after a 1-0 German victory in which both sides went through the motions, but Bierhoff said any comparisons are 'absurd'.
"I know about this topic, but anyone who knows me -- or takes one look at me -- knows this is not an issue," added Mueller, still sporting evidence of a deep face cut from Germany's 2-2 draw with Ghana last Saturday.
Loew is expected to start with Bastian Schweinsteiger in the defensive midfield alongside captain Philipp Lahm.
Lukas Podolski could start on the left wing as an alternative to Mario Goetze, but Mueller said they are taking nothing for granted.
"We have to be extremely careful. The tournament could be over quickly and then we'd be heading down the tubes," said Mueller.
Source: AFP