Germany coach Joachim Low has said his aim is to take all six points from the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Czech Republic and Northern Ireland.
Germany host the Czechs on Saturday, when Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira will start in holding midfield, while Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan may feature when they entertain Northern Ireland on Tuesday.
"Six points are our goal," Low told his prematch news conference in Hamburg on Friday.
However, he warned that Germany would need to be on their guard against Czech Republic, adding: "They can defend really, really well and are strong on counterattacks."
Low said former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Gundogan, who has returned to the national team for the first time in almost a year, is "coming out of a long injury layoff."
"He had a good start at Manchester City, but he's still a few games away from his best form," Low said, adding that Gundogan "will be extremely important" in the future.
However, the coach played down comparisons made in some sections of the German media between Gundogan and former captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has now retired from international football.
"Bastian was a leader, took on responsibility," he said. "Ilkay plays a bit further up the field, Bastian dropped behind the defence. You should not compare them."
Khedira told the news conference he felt Germany's style of play was changing.
"Looking at our development, we've changed from being a deep-sitting team with a fast transition play to one with a lot of possession," he said.
"I am a fan of a healthy mix. Most goals happen after winning balls."
But Low said the approach was because "opponents mostly sit deep and operate with long balls" and added: We have to build up from our defence, and it's difficult to actually win balls in midfield."