Germany manager Joachim Low has warned Ireland that his team are stronger now than at any stage after they lifted the World Cup.
Low lead Germany to victory in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but saw his side suffer somewhat of a hangover from that tournament at the start of their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.
"They have enough motivation and they will fight to the end. We know the mentality from Ireland."
Germany suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Poland in their second Group D game before a last-gasp John O’Shea goal saw Ireland take a 1-1 draw away from Gelsenkirchen.
However the Germans have won ever game since that draw and Low feels that his side are back to their best.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport, he said: "After the World Cup it was not so easy for us because some players stopped their career, some players were injured so at the beginning it was difficult for us to start with good results.
"After the break in the summer our team is back again. In September it was very important that we got six points and we now have a good position.
"The confidence and performance from our players is now better than last year after the World Cup.
"After the World Cup it was not easy to motivate all the players. But now we have a new motivation, we have a new aim and next year the European Championship.
"We changed a little bit, we had to. After such a big success it’s not very good always to continue the same way. We have some ideas how to make the team better."
The pressure is off Germany going into their game with Ireland at the Aviva as they have almost booked their place in France 2016 but Low insists he’ll be taking nothing for granted.
The German boss believes his side are in for a tough encounter but is confident that they can find a way past Martin O’Neill’s men and break them down.
“We know that always against an Irish team it’s very difficult,” he said. "It was a little bit unlucky for us in the first game because they scored in injury time but that is the mentality from Ireland – never give up.
“We analysed the Irish team and we saw that sometimes they play with long balls, sometimes they try to find another way.
"We’ve been thinking about what we can do better than the last game with Ireland. We have a team now that can find very good solutions against a strong defence."
Meanwhile Low does not believe that Ireland will be lacking for incentive to and dismissed a suggestion that Martin O’Neill might have to call on the memory of 2012’s 6-1 defeat to the Germany to gee his side up.
"I don’t know if they need extra motivation, they have enough motivation with a big chance against us," he said. "They have a big chance and they have it in their hands to qualify.
"They have no more or less motivation, they have enough motivation and they will fight to the end. We know the mentality from Ireland."
