Italy striker Luca Toni has highlighted the threat posed by Germany striker Miroslav Klose as the man to watch when the two countries meet in Tuesday’s semi-final.
“Klose has proved how great he is as a striker – not just here but in previous tournaments,” said Toni.
“I think our defenders will have to be extremely careful with him because if he gets a chance he will punish you.”
Klose currently the leading scorer at the finals with five goals, while he also scored five times in Japan and South Korea in 2002.
“He has scored so many goals and he is very strong physically and mentally,” Toni added.
“In some games he may go unnoticed for much of the game and then suddenly he finds the target as we saw against Argentina.”
However, the striker remains upbeat about Italy’s chances of reaching the final.
“This is the semi-final of the World Cup,” he said. “If Germany are in the last four it is for a reason.
“They are difficult side to beat, they have the advantage of playing at home.
“We’ll have to play at our best to knock them out, but we know what to expect and what we have to do.”
