The tickets say Germany v Australia, but the multicultural makeup of both squads make the match a mini World Cup in its own right.

The majority of Germany's team play in the Bundesliga and coach Joachim Loew is German, yet its players boast football heritage from Brazil (Cacau), Spain (Mario Gomez), Turkey (Mesut Oezil), Tunisia (Sami Khedira), Ghana (Jerome Boateng) and Poland (Lukas Podolski).

Cacau, who was born in Brazil, said the national team is a reflection of Germany's diverse society.

"Germany has done a great deal toward the integration of foreigners from many different countries," he told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. "Germany has opened up many opportunities for these people, not only football players. Germany has become a multicultural country, and that's reflected in the national team."

While a multicultural German team is relatively new, football in Australia was pioneered by immigrants, with Australians of longer standing mostly preferring either rugby code or Australian Rules Football.

Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer's parents moved to Australia from Germany in 1968, four years before he was born. His mother Doris remembers the prevailing sentiment.

"The butcher knew me and he asked, 'is Mark playing soccer? Soccer is only for softies. A real boy, a real man only plays football (rugby),"' she said. "That was the attitude."

In recent years, the green and gold of Australia has turned a distinctly orange tinge.

Coach Pim Verbeek is the latest example of the country's "Oranje" crush, replacing countryman Guus Hiddink, who steered the Socceroos to the round of 16 in 2006.

Australia's past two technical directors and head coach of the national youth team are Dutchmen, and the national coaching curriculum is geared toward teaching Australian children how to play the Dutch-style 4-3-3 formation.

"The Dutch influence is there in the way we play as a national team and it's been positive," Australia midfielder Brett Emerton said. "But deep down, we all have the Aussie fighting spirit. And I think it was displayed in the qualifying campaign for the World Cup because, whenever we needed to dig in to do the dirty work, we did."

Apart from the Dutch fascination, there are two other factors which make it difficult to pin down an Australian style.

The senior team players are spread far and wide as they earn their livings.

Only one squad member, midfield starter Jason Culina, plays his club football in Australia's national league. Four of the starters, including Tim Cahill (Everton) and Schwarzer (Fulham), are at English Premier League clubs, while captain Lucas Neill and forward Harry Kewell are at Galatasaray in Turkey. Others play in Greece, Belgium, Russia, Italy and Japan.

While many are first generation Australians of immigrant parents, reserve forward Nikita Rukavytsya moved to Australia as a 14-year-old from Ukraine.

"Of course the Ukraine is my home, it's where I was born and raised," he says. "But when I was growing up, I heard nothing from them and started getting involved with the Australian national teams. I'm very proud to represent Australia now."

Cahill, perhaps Australia's most important player, is the son of a British merchant sailor and a Samoan mother. He played for Samoa early in his career, and needed the mercy of FIFA to allow him to change to Australia.

"Samoa is where my heritage is from, but being Australian gives me that fighting spirit," says Cahill, who has financial involvement in several coaching academies.

"I want to work with kids and help develop them, show them the right way. Australia has many different cultures but I'd like to bring in the indigenous style. Bring their competitiveness, athleticism and raw ability into the frame as well."

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