Frankfurt, May 27: Uruguay will seek to beat Germany for the first time in 83 years when the World Cup semifinalists meet in a charity match on Sunday.
Germany edged Uruguay 3-2 in the third-place match at last year's World Cup in South Africa and has not lost to the Celeste since the 1928 Olympics.
But the Germans have won none of their last four friendlies, drawing three and losing one -- while winning all five qualifying matches for next year's European Championship.
Sunday's match in Sinsheim, the home ground of Bundesliga club Hoffenheim, is also a warm-up for Germany's two remaining qualifying games before the summer break, in Austria and Azerbaijan.
Germany coach Joachim Loew's main problem, apart from the injuries of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Per Mertesacker, is trying to keep his players physically and mentally sharp two weeks after the Bundesliga season ended.
"It's a new situation for all of us," Loew said. "Maybe the break was good for some players, especially mentally. But we can practice for a week and that is good."
"We have to get the players concentrated again. It's not easy, because some players already had a few days of vacation. But we have two important games coming up, we can open the door to the European Championship and I am sure the players will find the right attitude," Loew said.
"I am glad we have the chance to try out a few things against Uruguay before playing Austria and Azerbaijan. We are missing two important players in (defender) Mertesacker and (midfielder) Schweinsteiger," the coach said.
Real Madrid's midfielder Sami Khedira is nursing a groin injury and Loew hopes he will recover in time for the June 3 game in Vienna and the match in Baku four days later.
Mario Gomez of Bayern Munich is expected to spearhead Germany's attack after leading the Bundesliga with 28 goals.
Germany has a record of seven wins and two draws in 10 games against Uruguay, in addition to that loss in 1928 that was also the first meeting between the two nations.
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez arrives in Germany with his flashy forwards Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan, who was voted top player at the World Cup.
Tabarez doesn't see Sunday's match as a chance for Uruguay to avenge the loss in South Africa.
"Revenge can only take place at another World Cup match," Tabarez said. "We haven't played in Germany in nearly 20 years and it shows that we earned some respect in South Africa."
That last trip to Germany in 1993 ended in a 5-0 loss for Uruguay.
Sunday's match is also part of Uruguay's preparations for the Copa America showdown in Argentina in July.
The game will raise about ¤4.3 million ($6.09 million) for the Egidius Braun Foundation, named after a former German football federation president. The foundation supports various football projects, including the Bundesliga for the blind. The Germany team has played one charity match a year since 2002. AP
