Germany Under-21 players have decided to wear a red strip for their European Championship final against England.

England wore red at Wembley against Germany when they won the World Cup in 1966 and were expected to do so again for the culmination of the tournament in Sweden.

The two countries met each other in the group stage last week and Germany wore white on that occasion but they have decided for a change, in a move that could be construed as mind-games.

"We discussed it with the players, I asked them what colour they wanted to play in and they said red," said Germany coach Horst Hrubesch. "I can't imagine why they chose it. It is not psychological."

England's kit man only heard about the change on the evening before Stuart Pearce's youngsters travelled from their base in Varberg down the west coast to Malmo.

If Germany players fear playing England in red, Hrubesch is not worried about the threat of Theo Walcott, who had sore calves after the semi-final against Sweden but is set to play as a central striker.

"I do not care about the other team," he said. "We take care of our own players."

Hrubesch also believes the final will be decided in normal time, rather than going to penalties like the famous clashes between the seniors at Italy '90 and Euro '96.

"You don't have to worry about penalties because it will be decided inside 90 minutes," he said. "For Germany, for sure.

"Our team is well prepared. The whole team is looking forward to the match and we come here with great expectations. We are convinced it will be a very attractive match.

"I have a very good side with special skills and good individuals. It may be one of the strongest sides we have had at this level.

"There have been so many great matches between England and Germany and it is always a soccer classic, even at Under-21 level."