Hickersberger was a player in 1978 when Austria defeated West Germany to knock them out of the World Cup, and his players have the chance to do the same at Euro 2008 tomorrow evening at Ernst Happel Stadium.

The parallels are that Austria were tipped to fail 30 years ago, as they were ahead of the current tournament they have been co-hosting.

That was before giving Croatia a real scare, then earning a point against Poland with a last-gasp penalty awarded by English referee Howard Webb.

"With the support of the fans to inspire us, it won't be a hopeless case against Germany," said Hickersberger.

The countries have a historic rivalry and one certainty is that there will not be a repeat of the 1982 clash when they farcically ensured they would reach the next round of the World Cup.

An intense atmosphere is expected and Andreas Herzog, Austria's team manager, senses a real chance for the co-hosts to eliminate the likes of Michael Ballack with victory in Vienna.

"Our team has developed a lot through 2008," he said. "When people first started talking about this tournament, there were a lot of jokes about us, some jokes even that we should not be taking part.

"Now it is all the more satisfying to show that we have a real chance of advancing beyond our group - and doing so with a final match against our arch-rivals Germany."

Germany defender Christoph Metzelder, meanwhile, feels his side can cope with the pressure of needing a point to reach the quarter-finals.

"As Germany players, we always have pressure," said the Real Madrid defender. "At every tournament, we have had all-or-nothing games and often we played especially well in those matches. I am looking forward to this challenge.

"I am feeling better with every game. The whole team know we all have to work harder at the back. We all have to defend against Austria. With respect to our opponents, we know our attacking strengths and want to win this game."

Midfielder Torsten Frings admitted there was a change in atmosphere after defeat to Croatia meant Group B would go to the wire.

He said: "Of course, the mood since the Croatia match is a little more tense than before, that is normal after that kind of performance.

"I believe it is half-witted to question the entire project and our work in the last two years after just one defeat. We got ourselves into this 'final' game against Austria and I am happy we have a chance on Monday to make amends."

Germany expect Philipp Lahm, Heiko Westermann and Lukas Podolski all to be available against Austria, but a shoulder injury to Marcell Jansen has made him a doubt.