But the Socceroos will fear nobody when they step onto the South African stage.
"It's a very, very tough game, probably the toughest game certainly in our short history in the World Cup," Neill told a news conference in Durban's spectacular new Moses Mabhida stadium. "But we won't be going into the game with any fear."
The Socceroos also played Brazil in Germany four years ago, but 31-year-old Neill said Saturday's game would be tougher.
"Yes, because this is the first game in the tournament and obviously everyone knows that if you lose your first game it becomes very difficult," he said.
"We know we're the underdogs and we know we're going to have to be at our very, very best to get near the German side on the night," said the defender.
"It's a tough game, but we know the Australian mentality. They will go from the first to the last second of the game and that's what we will need," he said.
"The last time it was an unknown journey. We didn't know what to expect. The way that ended kept us all hungry, wanting us to come back and experience it again," he said.
