There are few games as eagerly anticipated by football fans as when England and Germany come together. The recovering Michael Ballack is no different.

The Germany captain, who will be missing from his nation's line-up in Berlin this evening, has been out for the past month after undergoing an operation on his feet and is steadily working his way back to full fitness.

A substitute appearance at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday was his first competitive involvement since Germany's 1-0 win over Wales on October 15, and he is now readying himself for tonight's match.

Just like the English, Ballack acknowledges that Germans see this as one of the big clashes on the international stage. He will be watching from the comfort of home, but not through ITV's coverage like the rest of us.

'Of course I will watch the game, at home. I think I will be watching German coverage though because I have to know what is going on!' he laughed.

'I think for both sides it is a big game, I am not from England so I can only talk about what I hear or see in the papers, but in Germany it is big.

'It should be a big game even as a friendly game, but it's a little disappointing for both sides that some players are not playing but if gives the players behind a chance. It is a test and is always a big rivalry.

'Of course you always want to play against the big sides, it is much more exciting. I don't when to blame a nation now, but when you play against smaller teams like Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands or Azerbaijan, it is not the same as playing against England and you can speak about it. This is normal. It is a special one.'

It is the second such clash in 15 months that Ballack has been forced to sit out, an ankle injury denying him the opportunity to play in last August's 2-1 German win at Wembley.

Chelseafc.com reminded the midfielder, who has 89 caps and 39 goals for Germany, that as a result his last outing against England was the 5-1 defeat in Munich back in September, 2001.

'You always remember just this game! You forget every other game!' he cried, quickly reminding us of the World Cup qualifier that preceded it, a 1-0 win for the Germans in the last ever game at the old Wembley. 'With the second team as well, we had eight players out and still won!'

The number of absentees on both sides is something similar this evening. You can guarantee that won't prevent the gloating on the training pitch at Cobham tomorrow morning. The only question is whether it will be Ballack or his English colleagues on the receiving end.

How do you think Germany v England will go and is it important to you. Have your say on Chelsea Chat.