Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger has said he is approaching his best form ahead of Wednesday's key Euro 2012 clash against Holland, but insists a team win is more important than his performance.
Germany take on Holland here on Wednesday in a key Group B tie after Schweinsteiger came in for some criticism from the German media for a subdued performance in Saturday's opening 1-0 win over Portugal.
In his defence, the 27-year-old has endured an injury-ravaged season having broken his collarbone last November, torn ankle ligaments in February and then strained his calf in Bayern Munich's Champions League final defeat last month.
As one of a handful of genuine world-class players in the Germany squad, Schweinsteiger is a key part in his country's hopes of winning a fourth European title at Euro 2012 and he insists he is approaching his best form.
"I have played better, I know that, I felt good physically and played the full 90 minutes (against Portugal)," he said in Tuesday's press conference.
"I am getting back to my top form, I am sure of that, I just don't know when that will be."
Question marks about Schweinsteiger's fitness were largely answered in Lviv against the Portuguese, but the Bayern defensive midfielder says his personal performance matters far less to him than three more points against the Dutch.
"I was injured for a long time and it wasn't easy to get back to my top form," he admitted.
"You have to look at how the game has gone from a team point of view: I am a team player and for me it is far more important that we win and I don't play so well.
"I am there for the team, 100%, and if people say I didn't play so well, so be it."
Daytime temperatures in Kharkiv are expected to hit 32 degrees Celsius (94 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, significantly warmer than the 20 degrees the Germans have experienced at their base in Gdansk, Poland.
Coach Joachim Loew said both teams will have to cope with the hot conditions and replacements could well play a key role.
"The temperatures here are quite a bit warmer here than in Gdansk, but we can't really prepare for the climate as there is no time to adapt," said Loew.
"It is very warm here at the moment, but it will be around 23 degrees by the time of kick-off.
"It will affect both teams the same. Apart from taking on extra liquids, there is not really much you can do about it.
"We need to see we have enough substitutions you can bring on in the 60th or 70th minute if you need a fresh pair of legs.
"You need players you can bring off from the bench who can slot in, we have a lot of fast players, so we'll have to see."
