YOKOHAMA, 29 June — When Germany and Brazil’s players shake hands and wish each other luck before tomorrow’s World Cup final, no-one would be surprised if they all admitted to each other: “Well, fancy seeing you here.” For despite winning the World Cup seven times between them, and despite this being the seventh final for both countries, neither was really expected to make it this far.

World champions France and pre-tournament favorites Argentina were strongly tipped to contest the final — but after both were eliminated in the first round, Brazil and Germany took full advantage of the way the competition opened up. Brazil and Germany have dug into their reserves of mental strength, of superior organization, invoked their sense of destinies and also produced some very fine play when it mattered, and are now just one game away from the ultimate triumph in the game.

Brazil begin as favorites primarily because Ronaldo and Rivaldo cannot stop scoring goals and because Germany have lost their main creative player Michael Ballack who is suspended. But Brazil will not under-estimate their opponents in what is incredibly, the first-ever meeting in the finals between the two traditionally dominant countries of world soccer.

Italy and Argentina might like to claim otherwise, but Germany come to the final with the greatest record of any European country while Brazil boast not only the best record among the South Americans, but also the world.

In many ways it is the perfect finale for the first finals in Asia and could bring the tournament to a close on a high. Brazil’s assault on their fifth world title — their eagerly awaited “penta” following their previous successes in 1958, 1962, 1970 and 1994 — will be spearheaded by the twin strike-force of Ronaldo and Rivaldo.

They will need to be at their sharpest and most incisive to beat Germany’s best player — skipper and goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.

Ronaldo (6 goals) and Rivaldo (5) will also give the severest test to the German defense which has conceded only one goal in the entire tournament — Robbie Keane’s late equalizer for Ireland in their 1-1 draw with Germany in the first round.

Since then Germany have gone four matches without conceding a goal and while their football has not exactly been brimming with dazzling ball skills and flair, it has been effective enough.

Much of the attention will be on Ronaldo, playing in his second World Cup final following his own personal nightmare of 1998. Then, just a few hours after suffering a fit, he was a shadow of his usual self.

He will be aiming to consign that personal demon to the rubbish bin of his own personal memory book. Cafu, meanwhile, will be making history of another kind by becoming the first player ever to appear in three World Cup finals after appearing as a substitute in 1994 and playing in 1998.

Coach Luis Felipe “Big Phil” Scolari is expected to start with the same team that beat England 2-1 in the quarterfinals, reinstating Ronaldinho to the starting lineup after he was suspended from the semifinal win over Turkey after his red card against England. Germany will rely on their traditional virtues which, according to coach Rudi Voeller means: “Plenty of order and discipline”.

“We must switch to the attacking mode but we must do it carefully because Brazil have players capable of using any opportunity to counterattack,” added the former World Cup striker.

“In terms of individual players they have more class than we have but that’s not something we should be ashamed of,” Voeller said. “All the other teams are in the same situation when compared to Brazil.”

As always, Voeller declined to drop any hints on his starting lineup but he said all his preferred players were ready to go despite minor injury worries.

Top striker Miroslav Klose, who has scored five goals in the tournament, trained fully on Thursday despite a sore hip and should start up front alongside Oliver Neuville.

Kahn, who was instrumental in his side’s run to the final by conceding only one goal, had to receive treatment on a painful neck during a training session on Thursday but Voeller said there was nothing to worry about.

Midfielder Dietmar Hamann should take over the playmaking duties from the suspended Ballack and the tireless Jens Jeremies should be handed Hamann’s usual defensive role at the center of midfield.

Big Phil and Rudi ready

for final tussle

If the reputation of the two opposing coaches is anything to go by, Brazil versus Germany in tomorrow’s World Cup final will be a real humdinger.

Brazil’s Luiz Felipe Scolari and Germany’s Rudi Voeller are two of the hungriest animals in the football jungle.

At Yokohama’s International Stadium, the pair will be on the edge of their touchline boxes, and sometimes out of them, as their players battle it out for the right to call themselves champions of the world.

Scolari, known affectionately as ‘Big Phil’ or less warmly as ‘donkey’ depending on how Brazil are doing, has little playing pedigree compared to his German counterpart. The 53-year-old was a muck and bullets central defender in southern Brazil and he has encouraged the team to play a game based more on physique than their traditional finesse. Viewing Scolari’s expostulations in the technical area during a game are often as entertaining as watching his team. He berates everyone — referees, linesmen, his own players, reporters — in his quest for success the ugly way.

Big Phil, who never played for Brazil, has been known to encourage his players to foul their opponents, waste time and employ all sorts of gamesmanship to achieve the required outcome.

The results have been impressive.

His success in guiding Gremio to successive Libertadores Cup and national league titles in 1995 and 1996 by employing a fiercely physical playing style is unquestionable. Palmeiras also won the 1999 Libertadores title under Scolari.

Since replacing Emerson Leao as Brazil coach in June 2001, Scolari has withstood a barrage of criticism, come through a poor qualifying campaign and resisted a national hue and cry to revive the international career of aging striker Romario.

“I say to the people of Brazil: Believe, believe, believe, because we can do much more,” he says. “Not only in football, the whole nation can do more.”

Such mental determination is a major factor in the psychological make-up of Voeller. Eleven years Scolari’s junior, Voeller moved into coaching after an illustrious playing career at the highest level.

Germany’s 1990 World Cup success, when Voeller won the decisive penalty in the final against Argentina, was the highlight of his career, even though it followed a disgraceful spitting incident with Dutchman Frank Rijkaard earlier in the tournament.

Three years later Voeller was part of the Olympique Marseille side that won the European Cup and he is loved in Germany for having spent much of his playing career helping the national team out of some desperate scrapes.

The striker also scored in the 3-2 1986 World Cup final defeat by Argentina and won 90 caps in total for his country.

Despite almost no prior coaching experience, he is now on the brink of becoming Germany’s fourth World Cup-winning coach.

Voeller’s success, in transforming a German side that looked down and out after their 5-1 home humiliation by England in qualifying to World Cup finalists in the space of nine months, is astounding. Then, the idea that Germany would be playing in their seventh final against Brazil was unthinkable.

“A few weeks ago when we played against high-calibre teams Cameroon and Ireland in the group stages, nobody expected us to reach the last 16,” admitted the former Bayer Leverkusen boss.

“But we have played really, really well and deserve to be in the final.”