The tournament hosts looked like the force of old in their first match, comfortably beating Costa Rica 4-2, but they could not score against Poland until injury-time, when Oliver Neuville slid home the game’s only goal.

Yet Bierhoff is wary of a clash with their long-time rivals.

“I would prefer to play Sweden or Paraguay rather than England, who remain favourites to win Group B,” said the team manager, who works alongside head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

“But then again, a big win early in the knock-out states could give us a major confidence booster for the remaining matches.”

Bierhoff vowed to shift the full concentration to Tesday´s meeting with in-form Ecuador.

“We have put ourselves into a good position no matter what happens in the other group,” he stated. "We have to make sure we win our group and then take it from there.”

While the three-time World Cup winners have rarely struggled against lesser sides, they have not beaten a top international opponent since October 2000 when they handed England a memorable 1-0 defeat in the last match at Wembley.

“There is a lot of talk about us not having beaten a big nation for such a long time,” said Bierhoff. “But we are convinced that we can defeat every team. Now that we have seen all teams that are in the tournament, we are not scared of anyone.”

The former international striker, whose golden goal won Germany the Euro 96 crown, hailed his country’s typical virtues following the dramatic victory over Poland.

“The fact that we never gave up – not even after twice hitting the crossbar near the end – really showed the morale of the team,” he stated.

“The German virtues are widely held in a negative esteem. They are often reduced to fighting, running and a strong physical composure. But these days we know this can only be the basis for everything.”