On the eve of England's meeting with their historic rivals at Wembley, Germany boss Joachim Low has hailed Roy Hodgson as a "fantastic coach".
Low, who will celebrate his 101st game in charge of the Germans on Tuesday night, spoke very highly of the Three Lions manager.
Like his German counterpart, Hodgson guided England through a successful World Cup qualification campaign without losing a game.
Match Details
England v Germany
8pm, Tuesday 19 November 2013
Wembley Stadium
It wasn't Hodgson's first time taking a team to the Finals - he was at the helm of the Switzerland team that reached the 1994 World Cup.
And his record in a number of different countries at both club and international level is something that impresses Low.
He said: "Roy Hodgson is a fantastic coach. I first met him when I was a player in Switzerland and he was the national team coach there. Wherever he has gone he has left the most positive of marks.
"It was under him that the Swiss really revolutionised their player formation and training system.
"On a personal level I think his career is characterised by success wherever he has gone. He has won something everywhere."
Low continued: "He's a man of the world who has gone to Sweden and a host of other countries, where he's learned about the local culture, the people and the styles of football played there.
"And also as a person he comes across as a gentleman. He has perfect manners, always has an open ear for young coaches.
"From a footballing point of view he's fully conversant with what's going on in world football and international developments."
Low's compliments of his opponents at Wembley didn't stop there.
Having already masterminded a victory over England at Wembley back in 2007, the 53-year-old also praised some of Hodgson's players.
"England have been and always will be one of the big footballing nations," he said.
"Looking in from the outside, [Steven] Gerrard, [Frank] Lampard and [Wayne] Rooney are players of elite calibre with a wealth of experience behind them.
"Andros Townsend is very quick and dynamic, and they have impressive wide players. So England have nothing to fear in that department.
"England may be tactically different from Italy, but they are still playing with tremendous force, they have great tackling power and a very dynamic approach to the game.
"And they have individual players who with a solo effort can decide a game if need be."
A full interview with Joachim Low features in the official England v Germany matchday programme which is available at Wembley on Tuesday, to buy online here or you can download the digital version to your iPad or iPhone via the Apple Newsstand: www.TheFA.com/applenewsstand
