Germany coach Joachim Loew has refused to be drawn into the politics of a Germany-Greece tie and wishes to concentrate on the football.
Players and coaches sought to play down the political meaning of a clash between Greece and Germany at Euro 2012 on Tuesday, as France, England and hosts Ukraine prepared to battle for the last two quarter-final places.
Greece are in all sorts of problems economically while Germany stands as one of Europe's richer countries.
Greek striker Giorgos Samaras laid into the international media at a news conference for turning a game of football into a political sideshow following elections in his country at the weekend.
"It's a bad thing for you to start to make stories and compare football and sports with politics," he said. "It's just a game. We're going to play and enjoy it because we love it, nothing else."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is very unpopular in Greece as she has forced tough austerity principles upon Athens in return for a €130bn bailout deal.
"Angela Merkel and us, we have a good relationship and an agreement that she does not advise me on the lineups and I do not advise her on political statements," Loew told reporters.
"It is just a normal quarter-final game against Greece and nothing else."
All eyes will be on the pitch as the two teams meet on Thursday.
