The World Cup 2010 qualifier between Germany and Azerbaijan will have a more interesting subtext as the two leading German strikers, Mario Gómez of Bayern Munich and FC Köln’s Lukas Podolski, battle it out for the top spot in the FTBL ranking of German forwards.

Gómez sits at the top for the moment with a tally of 161.25 points, while Podolski is second with 152.27 points: The Bayern forward will have a plank of 10 rating points to beat, while Podolski has a slightly higher plank of 13.53 points. The deal is really simple: the player who scores the most goals is certain to grab the coveted spot.

On the other hand, Miroslav Klose, another Bayern Munich striker who is 3rd in the FTBL ranking with 126.91 points, faces a daunting plank of 40 rating points to beat. He set the plank so high in the Champions League game against Sporting CP, which the Bavarians won 7:1, with a goal from a penalty. Klose, who can be a prolific goal scorer at times, cannot be counted out just yet.