Germany coach Jürgen Klinsmann said it would be a catastrophe if the three-time winners crashed out to Sweden in the last 16 of the World Cup.

Hosts Germany duel with Sweden on Saturday in their second round match in Munich, and Klinsmann acknowledged the demanding 80 million German fans will not stomach an early exit.

"I have participated in six tournaments as a player and know that in a crazy soccer nation such as Germany or England, you can not go out in the last 16 or quarter-finals. It is not that simple," said 41-year-old Klinsmann.

Klinsmann, a World Cup winner with West Germany in 1990, has set a place in the final as the ultimate target and believes anything less than reaching the semi-final would be a failure.

"My expectations are the same. I want to be there at the end. Everything will by analysed but for a nation such as ours, playing at home, the minimum has to be the last four," Klinsmann said. "We cannot go out now. If we went out in the last 16 it would be a catastrophe."