Berlin - Another chapter in one of the oldest rivalries in international football will be written this week as England and Germany lock horns in an international friendly in Berlin on Wednesday.

The two nations, whose histories are inextricably linked by the 1966 World Cup final, won by England on home soil, have met 26 times in all, including the period when Germany played as West Germany.

Of those, England have won 11, the Germans have won 10 and there have been five draws.

Despite their 1966 triumph - which remains their only major tournament win - England have suffered plenty of heartbreak at the hands of the Germans, going out to them on penalties in both the semi-finals of the World Cup in 1990 and in the 1996 European Championships.

A famous 5-1 win by England in a World Cup qualifier in Munich in 2001 wiped away many of the bad memories, although the Germans did win their last encounter, another friendly in 2007.

This time, both sides are in something of a transition period. England, under Fabio Capello, have won four out of four World Cup qualifiers, while Germany, led by Joachim Low, are top of their qualifying group.

Since taking over as England manager at the start of the year, Capello has instilled some confidence into his side and the results and performances have been encouraging.

With a number of injuries to high-profile players, the Italian has promised to use the match to experiment with a number of players.

"Everyone has told me that it is not a friendly game against Germany, but I think this will be a friendly game," he said. "We will do some experiments. I will know better some different players."

Striker Wayne Rooney and defender Rio Ferdinand, both of whom missed Manchester United's victory over Stoke City at the weekend, had already been ruled out, while both Joe Cole and Ashley Cole were not considered because of hamstring trouble.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has been asked to report to the squad despite his club saying he would be out for seven to 10 days because of a torn muscle. Gerrard is unlikely to travel to Berlin, but captain John Terry, who has been struggling with a foot injury, is expected to be fit to lead the side.

With Wes Brown, Emile Heskey and Joe Hart also out, Capello will use the game to see some lesser-known players, and Michael Mancienne, a defender on loan at Wolves from Chelsea, could make an appearance.

Capello believes the side in far better spirit now than when he took over.

"I think the confidence of the players is different now," he said. "I remember the first time we played against Switzerland and we played without confidence.

"But now we have played and won four qualifiers for the World Cup, and I can see the confidence in the players. This is the most important thing."

Germany will be without Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack, who has only just returned from injury, and also Torsten Frings, who had criticized manager Low after he was dropped from the squad to play Wales and Russia in World Cup qualifying matches.

Defenders Philipp Lahm, Marcell Jansen, Christian Pander and Clemens Fritz are all unavailable through injury, so Low is likely to follow Capello's example by experimenting with some relatively unknown players at international level.

"We want to use the last game of the year to try a few things out and to look at some new players," Low said. "The three new members of the squad have earned their place through their achievements." (dpa)