Thomas Müller: 'A score to settle'

"We know that we want to correct the table and as world champions our desire is to be leading the group," said Germany's team manager Oliver Bierhoff on Wednesday. With two days to go before Germany's return to a qualifying campaign that hasn't gone to plan yet - they are second in Group D behind Friday's opponents Poland - all eyes are on Joachim Löw's charges.

With Mesut Özil unlikely to start, attention could turn to Thomas Müller to inspire the attack. The Bayern player was more interested in talking about how to deal with the opposition though. "We have a score to settle against Poland. The game is not just about Lewandowski. We have to stop the counterattack and defend the space well," said the 25-year-old.

All three were asked about the refugee crisis, and all three responded positively. "It's great to see pictures like the ones in Munich where people are helping," said Bierhoff. "It's our duty as a team to show our support against those topics," said Kroos before adding: "We, as Germany, need to show that we are here to help as much is possible." Germany's team manager added that the German FA had donated over half a million euros to their own refugee campaign called "1-0 für Willkommen".

Not concerned by transfers

The pair were in good spirits and Toni Kroos, a former club teammate of Müller's, even quipped: "So far as I'm concerned, Thomas can keep taking them [penalties]. I'm better outside the area." Neither of them seemed that concerned when asked about the current state of the transfer market. Müller said he believed football was a sport with huge potential and therefore it wasn't much of a surprise that money was there, while Kroos said although it wasn't an optimal development, he wasn't worried England was going to take over.

Bierhoff was also pressed on the increase in transfer fees, and he emphasized the importance of the fans and that he saw positives in the US system that includes a draft and a salary cap. He did however see Bastian Schweinsteiger's move to Manchester United as a positive. "It's good for the national team that he has a new motivation." The result of which, along with injuries, has also left the number of Bayern Munich players in the Germany squad at a low - only four in the current squad - but that was not a problem for Bierhoff.

Germany plays Poland on Friday in Frankfurt, before travelling to Glasgow to play Scotland on Monday.