Germany coach Joachim Loew says his friendship with US counterpart Jurgen Klinsmann will not affect his desire to win when the two sides clash at the World Cup on Thursday.

Top spot in Group G is up for grabs to the victors while the loser could face an anxious wait to see if they even qualify for the second round.

It is an unusual situation to be in when the coach in the opposite dugout is a close personal friend but for Loew it is no problem.

"I think the relationship between Jurgen and me is very interesting for the press," said Loew, who was Klinsmann's assistant at the Germany helm from 2004 to 2006 before taking over the top job.

"Personally I think it's a match against another country, same as usual. It's decisive for qualification.

"That's not got much to do with the coaches. At work we have a relationship of perfect trust. We've stayed in contact, we eat together, we talk about football, we talk about Germany, the United States.

"It's a friendship and it won't suffer from this match.

"But the people who know us, know that we're both ambitious. On the pitch, we want to win," said Loew.

afp