Thomas Muller: 'Lionel Messi never beats me'

Germany's Thomas Muller has revealed that he has never been on the losing side against Lionel Messi ahead of Sunday's World Cup final with Argentina.

The 24-year-old was part of the Bayern Munich team that humbled Messi's Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate in the Champions League two years ago.

The duo square off once again this weekend, this time with the biggest prize in football at stake inside the Maracana, but Muller says that the omens are good for Die Mannschaft.

"It'll be very important to push ourselves to the limit, especially defensively. You need to be quick to keep up with [Lionel] Messi," he told reporters.

"We've played against Messi a few times. I've never lost a competitive game against him."

Kickoff on Sunday is scheduled for 8pm.