Football legend Diego Maradona believes Germany's hopes for success in their World Cup opener against Portugal could depend largely on the performance of Mesut Ozil.
Ozil, 25, has battled with self-confidence and suffered a dip in form, shortly after he joined Arsenal for a record breaking club transfer fee; hence, he has seen his place in Joachim Low's star-studded line-up come under pressure.
However, with Marco Reus not having travelled to Brazil due to an ankle injury and with continued concerns over the fitness of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Maradona believes Ozil could be essential to Germany's hopes of victory over Portugal on Monday.
Writing for the Times of India, the former Argentina star said: "In Euro 2012, these two were in the same group and Germany quietly managed to win it by the slimmest [of] margins. This time, coach Low may have to think differently and use captain [Philipp] Lahm in the midfield, along with [Sami] Khedira in a defensive format.
"Ozil will be another important figure for the Germans. In a battle against his former Real Madrid team-mate, Ozil has to lead from the midfield since Schweinsteiger may not play this game due to injury."
The former Argentina coach, Maradona, also believes history could be made in Monday's clash as Miroslav Klose looks for the two finals goals he needs to overtake Ronaldo's all-time goalscoring record in the tournament.
"It will be a golden opportunity for Miroslav Klose to score two more goals and become the highest scorer in the history of the World Cup," Maradona added.