CHICAGO. July 6: Germany captain Lothar Matthaeus said on Tuesday he expected to have recovered from a foot inlurv

appearances compared to the 103 held by 1974 World Cup winning captain' and 1990 coach Franz Beckenbauer.

in time to make a recordequalling 21st World Cup finals appearance tn Sunday's quarter-finals against Bulgaria, reports Reuter.

The 33-year-old libero was unable to play the second-half of the World Champion's 3-2 second-round victory over Belgium on Saturday because of a cut on his right foot.

But Matthaeus. playing in his fourth World Cup finals, now looks likely to equal the record number of appearances held jointly by his compatriot Uwe Seeler, Pole ijfladyslaw Zmuda and Diego Maradona.

"I expect nothing to stand in my way of playing." the Bayern Munich player said. "I have a Mt of pain but I expect to train fully by Friday. But I am not here to break records. It is what the team does that matters."

Matthaeus. who played his first World Cup match when he came on as a substitute in a first-round game against Chile at the 19^2 finals in Spain, will almost certainly set a fresh mark if the Germans reach the semifinals.

He is already Germany's most capped player with 116

Maradona was unable to break the record in the United States after being withdrawn for doping. Seeler was the first to reach 21 after playing at the 1958. 1962, 1966 and 1970 finals. Zmuda appeared at four World Cups between 1974 and 1986.

Germany coach Berti Vogts watched Bulgaria's second-round victory over Mexico after a penalty shoot-out on Tuesday.

Assistant coach Rainer Bonhof said: "It is going to be tough tango. It is probably better to get a European team but it won't be easy. We will not be underestimating them just because they went through on penalties."

Striker Juergen Klinsmann added: "They will be tough. They have an excellent forward line. It is always 50-50 when you get down to the knockout stage. But if we play the way we played against Belgium we can beat anyone."

The Germans have decided to fly in Germany's top sports doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt to treat midfielder Thomas Strunz's problematic thigh strain. The Munich doctor. who was due to arrive at the team's camp near Chicago on Wednesday, treats many of Europe's to players as well as tennis player Boris Becker.

The squad was reduced to 21 last week when Vogts sent home midfielder Stefan Effenberg for making an obscene gesture at the crowd during a first-round match against South Korea.