lukas podolski
Joachim Low with Lukas PodolskiReuters

The international football friendly between Germany and England remains one of the biggest football matches of the week, despite the match not being a FIFA qualifier. Fuelled by the English press mostly, the clash between these two giants of world football, never ceases to amaze us.

However, one concern remains is whether the flurry of injuries to players of both sides can take a toll on the overall performance of the match.

READ: All the key facts of a Germany-England football rivalry.

While a replacement has been called for Manchester United's English defender Phil Jones, as the serious of his toe injury needs to be monitored, Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling missed training on Tuesday, giving manager Gareth Southgate lots to think about.

It was already revealed that the likes of Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and Daniel Sturridge wouldn't play a part in the international friendly, thanks to their injuries.

Germany coach Joachim Low faces a similar situation as his star players Mesut Ozil, Julian Draxler, Mario Gomez and Manuel Neuer are all injured. However bad the situation might be, the match is extra special for Germany veteran forward Lukas Podolski. 

The 31-year-old star will receive his 130th cap tonight, and what a better occasion than to sign off from international football than playing against rivals England.

"It's not easy to replace Podolski in the team. He is unique," said Low. "He is one of the greatest players that Germany has produced."

Match schedule

Date: March 22

Time: 7:45 pm GMT (1:15 am IST [Thursday])

Venue: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund

Where to watch live

India: TV - Sony Six/HD.

UK: TV - ITV 1/HD.

Germany: TV: ARD Das Erste

USA: TV - ESPN 3. Live streaming: Watch ESPN