German possession game meets Argentine resilience in World Cup final By John Bagratuni, dpa

The German camp will not rest on the laurels from that 7-1 semi-final hammering of the tournament hosts, and expects a tough encounter against the team around Lionel Messi who would confirm his status as an all-time great as a World Cup winner.

A fourth title, following 1954, 1974 and 1990, would complete the careers of Joachim Loew's golden generation after near misses over the past years.

Argentina, who escaped the Netherlands on penalties to reach the final, are after a third World Cup trophy, following 1978 and 1986, and winning it in the iconic Maracana would be the ultimate insult for the host nation.

Germany won their last title 1-0 against Argentina, and four years earlier the inspired Diego Maradona carried Argentina 3-2 past Germany for their last crown.

No other teams have met three times in a World Cup final for which around 100,000 Argentine fans are expected in town - and up to 40,000 in the stadium - while the Brazilians will likely support Germany against their arch rivals.

Germany's awesome midfield and attack will aim to break down a stubborn Argentine defence which has stolen the attention from the frontline of Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria by not letting in a goal in three knock-out games.

Captain Philipp Lahm is aware of the difficulty but also of the golden opportunity to win silverware at last along with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Mueller, Toni Kroos and company after near misses of third-place finishes 2006 and 2010, and a 2012 semi-final and 2008 final at European championships.

"We are optimistic. We want to bring the world title back to Germany at long last," said Lahm, who would be the fourth German captain to lift the cup after Fritz Walter (1954), Franz Beckenbauer (1974) and Lothar Matthaeus (1990) in the nation's eighth final.

"Our generation, we all know what it's about now. I think experience is important and we have all played big games. We have developed over the last years, gained experience and matured," he said.

"There's only one thing to do now - to bring back the cup which we have wanted for so long and for which we have worked towards for so long. That is our job."

Mueller, Lahm's Bayern team-mate, said Germany would be "throwing everything we have into this game" as they are likely to dominate possession against an expected defensive opponent.

Loew has no injury concerns as a slight knee problem will not stop Mats Hummels from taking his place in central defence with Jerome Boateng.

Loew will likely keep his line-up from the France quarter-final and Brazil semi, with Lahm the right back and Benedikt Hoewedes on the left, Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira in defensive midfield, Kroos in front of them, Mesut Oezil on the left, World Cup record scorer Miroslav Klose the lone striker and the lively Mueller on the right.

Klose is the only man left from Germany's last final in 2002 which they lost 2-0 against Brazil.

Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella will hope that Di Maria can return from a thigh muscle injury that kept him out of the semis, and the Real Madrid man has been back in training.

Di Maria, who scored the 1-0 winner in the last 16 against Switzerland, would add unpredictability to the game and be an important partner for the captain Messi who is yet to improve from his four goals in the group stage.

Higuain will likely remain the striker, with Aguero to start from the bench, and Ezequiel Lavezzi on the left. The midfield is organised by the real team leader Javier Mascherano and also includes Lucas Biglia as Argentina aim to raise South America's winning record in finals with European teams to 8-2 in their fifth final.

Semi-final shoot-out hero Sergio Romero will hope for another clean sheet, assisted by the back four of Pablo Zabaleta, Marcos Rojo, Martin Demichelis and Ezequiel Garay.

Argentina not only hope to bounce back from the lost 1990 final, they also lost to Germany in the last two quarter-finals 2006 (penalties) and 2010 (2006).

"This (the final) will be the most important match in our career," said Mascherano, who played in the last two meetings. 

"We're playing a final and we don't just want to give it away. We can do it, because this team has proved that it can do it, and it is worth a try."

Midfielder Maxi Rodriguez said Argentina was not necessarily out to win pretty because all that counts is the trophy.

"You find yourself in the final and the important thing is to win it. If you can play well, all the better, but I don't care at all: the important thing is to win. This is the match we dreamed of," he said.