Germany may have been dark horses at the 2010 World Cup, but make no mistake: they will surely be among the top contenders for 2014. With only Miroslav Klose, Arne Friedrich, and reserve goalkeeper Hans-Joerg Butt likely to have retired from international competition, the core of the 2010 Germany squad will return a much more experienced team.

Depending on form, Manuel Neuer or Rene Adler will start in goal. Tim Wiese and newcomer Tobias Sippel should round off the backups, with Roman Wiedenfeller being a suitable reserve in the event of a major injury crisis.

In defense, Philipp Lahm is, and will always be, a shoe-in. The other three defensive positions are very much up in the air. Mats Hummels, who was arguably the Bundesliga's best defender in 2009-10, should break into the first team within the next four years. He will compete with Per Mertesacker, as well as youngsters Holger Badstuber, Benedikt Hoewedes, and, assuming he plays club football in his natural central position, Jerome Boateng. Aside from Lahm, the other natural fullback options will be Marcell Jansen, Marcell Schaefer, and Andreas Beck. Rising star Christopher Buchtmann, who will be 22 by the start of the next World Cup, is an outside contender.

Like Lahm, 81-times capped midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is irreplaceable, and will be first choice in the centre of the park. His partner, however, is anything but certain. Sami Khedira had a good tournament, but Simon Rolfes is more than capable competition. Youngsters Sven and Lars Bender also have a chance, as does natural playmaker Toni Kroos, who could take a role similar to that which Khedira played in 2010.

As of now, the four attacking positions (three midfield, one centre forward) are completely undecided. Thomas Mueller, who had five goals and three assists in 2010, should earn a starting berth, and can play in any attacking position. Lukas Podolski, who has the undying support of coach Jogi Loew (who is likely to extend his stay with Germany in the next few weeks), also has an advantage and can play either on the left flank or as the lone centre forward. Other options in the position of striker are youngsters Richard Sukuta-Pasu and Lennart Thy, as well as the more established Mario Gomez and Stefan Kiessling.

After being shortlisted for the golden ball award in 2010, Mesut Oezil might be considered a shoe in for the playmaker role, but if he does not improve his fitness, Loew will be concerned about his ability to complete an entire tournament. Look out for Mario Goetze, who at 18, is widely regarded as the World's best footballer at his age. If he does not come to fruition in time for 2014, any of Toni Kroos, Marko Marin, and a host of others may earn a starting role.

Below are the options for attacking midfield and centre forward, in decreasing order of the probability of their inclusion in the starting lineup.

Attacking midfielders (pick three): Mueller, Oezil, Mario Goetze, Toni Kroos, Marko Marin, Kevin Grosskreutz, Marco Reus, Lewis Holtby, Sebastian Rudy, Timo Gebhart, Savio Nsereko, Deniz Naki, Florian Trinks

Strikers (pick one): Mueller, Podolski, Sukuta-Pasu, Gomez, Kiessling, Thy




Subs: Adler (29), Badstuber (25), Hoewedes (26), Kroos (24), Marin (25), Sukuta-Pasu (24), Gomez (29)

World Cup 2014 Objective: Winners