Voller - expected to bring Jeremies into team (Allsport)

By David Anderson, PA Sport, Daegu

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He is Germany's softly-spoken enforcer and Rudi Voller is hoping he can help keep Brazil's 3 Rs quiet in Sunday's World Cup final.

While Oliver Kahn bellows out orders to his team-mates from the German goal, Dietmar Hamann is much more reserved in his coaxing.

Voller has revealed how the Liverpool midfielder always has the last word as the players emerge out on to the pitch.

Hamann's importance to Germany has soared since Michael Ballack picked up that booking against South Korea which has ruled him out of the final.

In Ballack's absence, Voller will ask Hamann to protect Germany's backline from the marauding Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho.

It is the sort of role Hamann has excelled in for Liverpool over the last couple of seasons and he will be pivotal to Germany's hopes of upsetting Brazil in Yokohama.

Voller, who is expected to bring in Jens Jeremies as Ballack's replacement, said: "It's like a ritual before every game, and not only with Liverpool but with the national team too.

"When the players are almost on the pitch he says quietly 'boys, keep order'.

"That sums up his frame of mind and his greatest strength is organising the defence in that quiet way of his.

"Irrespective of who plays next to him or behind him, Dietmar Hamann always performs to the best of his ability."

The final pits the most prolific attack in the tournament in Brazil's against the meanest defence of the World Cup in Germany's.

In such a collision between the unstoppable force and the immovable object, Hamann claims the midfield battle could be decisive.

"I think midfield will be a crucial area and really that could be where the match is won and lost," he said.

"We have great respect for Brazil, and they are all world-class players, but we must somehow stop them.

"They have played some nice football and they are flamboyant to watch. With their attacking players they will try to create many opportunities to score and it is up to us to stem that flow.

"But despite their quality, we don't fear them and I'm sure we will come up with the right tactical formation with which to counter them.

"Obviously losing Michael is a blow because he scored the two goals in the last two matches.

"And I suppose, yes, more responsibility falls on me, but I will just concentrate on my own game.

"It's up to the coach to decide the line-up and who should play instead of him.

I'm sure he'll make the right choice."

Ballack has joked that his suspension may be a favourable portent for Germany because of Bayer Leverkusen's rotten luck this season.

After being on course for the treble, Leverkusen lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final, finished second in the Bundesliga and were beaten by Schalke in the German Cup final.

"With Germany in the final, maybe it's a good omen I'm not there," he quipped.

Voller would definitely disagree and does not believe the Leverkusen players are unlucky.

He claims they have recovered from their huge disappointment of finishing the domestic season with nothing by painful memories.

He is not superstitious and he pointed out that at least one Leverkusen player is going to have a World Cup winner's medal come Sunday night because Lucio will be playing for Brazil.

"It was an unfortunate end to the season for the Leverkusen players and they were disappointed needless to say," he said.

"But they have got over that and now they are only thinking about the future and Sunday's final.

"They're fine and by Sunday at least one of them will have won something this season."

Voller just hopes it will be Carsten Ramelow, Bernd Schneider and Oliver Neuville rather than Lucio.