Those who backed Germany to win the World Cup saw in their 2-0 win over the United States the vague outline of a team with the ability to go all the way in this championship.
Playing the type of total football that marked Holland's arrival on the international stage, they moved with a fluency which some had thought beyond their range. It was an effective riposte to the charge that Berti Vogts had brought too many old players to France but significantly, the German manager prefers to await tomorrow's difficult before assessing progress.
"This will be a more difficult game for us against a team which is one of the strongest in Europe," he says.
Mick McCarthy is travelling to the game to watch a Yugoslav team which may provide him with some of his biggest problems during the qualifiers for the European Championship finals.
Yugoslavia's 1-0 success against Iran, courtesy of Sinisa Mihajlovic's precision in deadball situations, wasn't overly exciting last Sunday, and it won't help that they may again be without AC Milan forward Dejan Savicevic.
Vladimir Jugovic's perception remains one of their biggest assets but it was only when manager Slobodan Santrac introduced two of his younger players, Dejan Stankovic and Perica Ognjenovic in the second half, that they developed real momentum against Iran.
On that occasion, their defence showed some authority, but they are likely to find the going a lot tougher against Jurgen Klinsmann and Oliver Bierhoff, who will surely be more effective than in the meeting with the Americans.
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