Podolski in action in Germany's last match against the USA. (©GettyImages). Joachim Low will be without Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski for Germany's last 16 tie against Algeria.
The 29 year old has been forced out of the next match with a leg injury and the manager has claimed that although it was possible for him to feature in the game, it would be a 'big risk'.
Later games
No details have been released regarding the extent of the injury but according to NBC Sport, Low has the forward in his plans for later games if they progress.
Podolski came off at half-time in the most recent game against the United States, which finished 1-0 to Germany thanks to an effort from Thomas Muller.
This was the second time the Gunners' man has appeared at this World Cup so far after surviving only eight minutes in the opening game against Portugal.
Despite his lack of game time so far, Podolski is highly rated and will be missed as a striking option against the strong defensive unit of Algeria, who progressed with Belgium past Russia and South Korea in Group H.
Good record
In his international career, the Polish-born striker has scored 47 goals from 116 appearances - five of those in the Wolrd Cup - and he has bags of experience in major tournaments. This is his third World Cup, a long with three trips to the European Championships. Behind Miroslav Klose and Lothar Matthaus, he is the third most capped player in history.
His strike partner, Muller, is currently among the leading contenders for the Golden Boot along with Lionel Messi, James Rodriguez and Neymar, whose Brazil side is into the quarter-finals after beating Chile in a penalty shoot out.
Previous history
The last time the Germans won the World Cup was back in 1990 after they beat Argentina 1-0 in what was a repeat of the previous final, and they avenged a 3-2 defeat. In 2002 they came close to winning but they were beaten 2-0 by Brazil.
With the tournament now taking place in Brazil, and with the teams scheduled to meet each other in the final, this would be the perfect revenge for Low's side.
However, although they are the third favourites, they may struggle as a lot of other European countries have been finding it difficult to cope with the climate whilst the South American sides have thrived. Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia have all made the knock-out stages and their neighbouring continent, CONCAF, have had similar success with the USA, Mexico and Costa Rica all progressing.
Squad depth
But as far as the depth of the squad is concerned, Germany have very few problems at the moment. Jerome Boateng has been reported with a slight strain but this will not rule him out of the next game.
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