Lopsided Rivalry

For English soccer fans too young to remember the country's finest soccer moment -- lifting the World Cup in 1966 -- the past 41 years without a trophy have provided few reasons to become truly cheerful.

Without a World Cup or European Championship title to celebrate since the '66 win in front of a home crowd, England fans take solace in certain defining matches that punctuate the darkness of failure like stars in a gloomy night. And none of those stars shines brighter than victories over one old foe in particular: Germany.

Classic European duels

English memories of the bad-tempered 1-0 win in Euro 2000 and the 5-1 demolition job in Munich in 2001 can sometimes be enough to raise a weary English fan's spirits. But reminiscing about Germany can also lead to some of the darkest parts of the English soccer psyche. That spot in the semi-conscience that is dominated by visions of England players firing penalties high and wide and a cup landing in the hands of Lothar Matthäus or Jürgen Klinsmann.

The pleasure and pain of recollection go hand in hand. Such is the common soccer history and emotionally charged relationship between England and Germany.

As the two international rivals face off against each other again at the new Wembley Stadium for the first time in nearly six years, soccer fans are presented with one of the game's biggest spectacles. While both sides in Wednesday's friendly will be well below full strength due to injuries, England versus Germany remains one of the sport's classic matches and a duel between two of soccer's greatest rivals.

Envy fuels English

"For the English, the main cause for the rivalry comes from the combination of Germany's success in World Cup competitions and England losing its competitive edge over Germany from the 1970's onwards," Jeff Hill of the International Center for Sport History at De Montfort University told DW-WORLD.DE. "There wasn't much rivalry before 1966 and not much during the World Cup of that year until the final."

England won that final but have suffered at the feet of Germany in the most important tournament matches between the two countries since. For the English, a World Cup semi-final defeat in 1990 and a European Championship semi-final loss on home soil six years later are the most prominent scars from modern skirmishes between the two nations.

So is it revenge that drives England into a frenzy whenever Germany appears on the match schedule?

"There is a certain amount of envy involved," said Hill, alluding to Germany's more successful record. "The English also seem to think that national pride is at stake, that the Germans must be beaten at all costs. Whereas the traditional rivalry with Scotland has waned as they've become less of a force, Germany has replaced the Scots in the English mind."

'A good game to win'

And what about Germany? Are the Germans still motivated by a desire to avenge the controversial Wembley goal that may or may not have crossed the line to send England onto victory in 1966?

"I think the rivalry is a little one-sided," said Raphael Honigstein, the European soccer correspondent for Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. "For the Germans it is a classic game and always a good one to win but the big grudge match is always against the Dutch."

Honigstein said he believes that, for Germany, the 1966 final is now nothing more than a nostalgic talking point with few negative connotations. He said the Germans look at the game as just one of the clashes between the two countries which altered sporting history, rather than a touchstone for some epic rivalry.

"The Germans are aware of the English perception of a great rivalry; they respect England, but prepare for the game in much the same way as, say, a match against the Italians," he said.

England a benchmark for German teams

Still, there is a particular sense of nostalgia exists among German soccer fans when their country takes the field against England because the matches have nearly always served the Germans as a barometer of their abilities, Honigstein said.

"The Germans have always used games against the English to test out how good their current side is," he said. "When West Germany came to Wembley in 1972 and won 3-1, it was a turning point for that side. They went on to win that year's European Championship and then the World Cup in 1974."

With key players missing on both teams, Honigstein said it will be difficult to tell if Wednesday's match will serve as a bellwether for German coach Joachim Löw's goal of winning the 2008 European Championships in Switzerland and Austria.

Focus falls on sport

Even without many of the stars making the trip to London, the Germans' arrival is an event the English Football Association is using to thank their guests for the hospitality offered to England fans at last year's World Cup.

A huge banner saying "Danke für 2006" will be unfurled not only be a gesture of gratitude but also a statement on how far relations between the two sets of fans have come in recent years.

"It used to all be about the war," Honigstein said. "World War II was a defining moment for England as a nation and Germany was the defeated enemy. Generations grew up with stories of heroic Brits and evil Germans and this was reflected in the fan culture for many years.

"Things have calmed down a lot now; England has moved on, and it's more to do with the sport now."