Former Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann has backed the Michael Ballack to successfully captain the German national team. Ballack made his comeback after four months off with a leg injury on Sunday in Leverkusen’s 3-1 win at Moenchengladbach in the German league.

The 34-year-old had a torrid time in 2010 as an ankle injury in May ruled him out of the World Cup in South Africa, only for him to then fracture his leg during only his third game back in September.

Ballack is just two caps short of his 100th appearance for Germany, but Bayern Munich’s Philipp Lahm is expected to captain the national team against the Italians, as he did at the World Cup.