Germany's Birgit Thumm on the defensive
German coach Giovanni Guidetti must re-assess his goals as his side take on European rivals the Netherlands in their opening Pool F match of the FIVB Volleyball World Championship for Women in Osaka on Wednesday.
Italian Guidetti saw his players stun Pool B favourites China 3-0 in Sapporo last week, helping Germany to finish second in the group behind Russia.
"We are very happy to get to the second round because that was the first goal of ours," said Guidetti on Tuesday.
"Every match is going to be very difficult and we hope that we can finish in the top 10 at least. We will do our best to reach our new goal."
The Netherlands finished with a 3-2 record in Pool C in Kobe and will provide the Germans with a stiff test.
Though it is felt Germany's best chance of a victory will be against Puerto Rico on Thursday, Guidetti is not thinking that far ahead.
"I'm only thinking about Netherlands at the moment because that is our first match," he said. "After that we can think about Puerto Rico."
Germany's captain Angelina Grun has emerged as one of the stars of the tournament, along with her fellow attacker Birgit Thumm.
They will need to be at their inspiring best if they want to topple the Dutch.
