Germany skipper Philip Lahm has delivered a withering put-down to England by claiming his side "now have to beat a big team".

As Fabio Capello and his players continue to lick their wounds following their brutal defeat in Bloemfontein last weekend the Germans are preparing for a quarter-final meeting with Argentina in Cape Town on Saturday.

"Now we are up against our own big five," said Lahm, with reference to the jungle animals that are such a prominent feature of life in South Africa. "We have to show we can finally beat a big team - someone like Argentina, Brazil or Spain."