Christoph Metzelder has been passed fit to play in Germany's final Group A match against Ecuador on Tuesday.

The central defender limped out of training on Saturday after twisting his right knee and sat out the whole of Sunday's session.

However, a scan showed the injury is not serious and he will resume working with his team-mates on Monday.

Germany have already qualified for the last 16, but need to beat Ecuador to ensure they top the group.

That means captain Michael Ballack will start despite being just one booking away from a suspension that would rule him out of Germany's first knockout round tie.

The Chelsea midfielder knows all about costly suspensions having sat out the 2002 World Cup final, but insisted the situation would not inhibit his play against Ecuador.

"It is always difficult to scale back in a World Cup match," said Ballack.

"There are a few situations where you start to hesitate and to second-guess your moves but I am experienced enough to deal with it.

"I want to win the match. We want to finish the group first so tackles are a part of that."