Germany, ranked fifth in the world, take on the European micro-state, ranked 195th -- only 12 other countries are lower -- and German coach Joachim Loew has already said Klose, the top scorer at last year's World Cup, will start.

San Marino were slaughtered 13-0 by Germany at home last September -- with Klose scoring twice -- and even with a weakened side, the Germans can expect a bucket load of goals in Nuremberg with Klose partnering Kevin Kuranyi up front.

The 28-year-old struggled for form towards the end of the season, but alongside Schalke 04's Kuranyi, who netted twice in Germany's 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in March, the goals are expected to flow.

"Miroslav will start against San Marino," said Loew, whose side top Group D and are level on points with the Czech Republic and Ireland, but with a game in hand.

"We know he can perform, he had a superb World Cup and did well in the Bundesliga. He is a complete forward, even if his form recently has been below average."

Loew said Klose, 28, is a natural leader and a model for the younger players in the German side, but San Marino -- who have leaked 30 goals and lost all five qualifying games so far -- can expect no easy ride.

Although without his top stars midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, captain Michael Ballack and striker Lukas Podolski who have all been struck down by injury, Loew has still invited them to join the squad to assess their fitness.

"We want to get a picture of their fitness for ourselves. We also want to give them some programmes to follow during the summer break," said Loew.

In Ballack's absence Bayer Leverkusen's Bernd Schneider will captain the Germans and the 32-year-old has the added responsibility of organising the attack on his 77th appearance for his country.

In defence, Loew will give Bayern Munich's latest recruit Marcell Jansen a start at left-back, while on the other flank will be his new team-mate Philipp Lahm on the right side of the defence.

"We have not paid that much attention to San Marino," said Lahm. "We want a big win, but it's more about making sure the performance is good for the game against Slovakia next Wednesday."