Intro:

Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and assistant coach Hans-Dieter Flick look ahead to the World Cup semi-final against Brazil.

Script:

SOUNDBITE Bastian Schweinsteiger (German)

'Obviously it will be a game of a very high importance. Playing against the host nation is a great honour and a challenge at the same time. It would have been even better to play Brazil in the final. But nevertheless it will be a game that is very important to us. Not only to me but also to the entire team.'
'Brazil nowadays are actually not what they have been. You would think that the are like magicians on the pitch. But it is not like that and the team has changed and they play a different style of football compared to Brazilian national teams in the past. Physical toughness is definitely part of their game and we will have to be prepared for that - and also the referees (will have to be prepared for the toughness).'

SOUNDBITE Hans-Dieter Flick (German)

'It is definitely a loss for Brazil. Neymar is a world class football player and he has proven that he is able to live up to the enormous expectations. He played a good world cup and it is tragic that he is injured now. But I think such things can strengthen the team spirit. Also there are 200 million Brazilian fans who will support the team even more now. All that is going to set free some new forces and we are prepared to face a strong Brazilian team.'