Germany factor in revenge for Brazil friendly

Germany forward Thomas Mueller expects revenge to be a factor when his side take on Brazil for the first time since humiliating the South Americans 7-1 in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals.

Joachim Loew's Germany start fine-tuning preparations for their World Cup defence in Russia with high-profile friendlies against Spain in Duesseldorf on Friday and Brazil in Berlin next Tuesday.

Spain, the 2010 World Cup winners, have the first chance to break Germany's 21-match unbeaten run, dating back to their Euro 2016 semi-final defeat by France.

However, the clash four days later at Berlin's Olympic Stadium offers Brazil a rare chance to beat Germany in their own backyard and avenge the hammering in Belo Horizonte almost four years ago.

"Of course, you can imagine that the humiliation was great after losing a semi-final of a World Cup at home," said Mueller, who scored the first goal in that game.

"Brazil is really a football-mad country and the pressure on them was huge. However, our journey wasn't over and for us it was just a step towards the final."
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"It's a good situation for the coach to be in. But this is an opportunity to show what we can do against big opponents in big games."