SHOCK and awe.

It is the language normally reserved for the sort of bombardment that accompanies the US invasion of its country of choice. Shaun Maloney, without any bombast, without raising his voice, uses such expressions when he refers to the German football team.

He also points out simply that a victory against Germany would be the "biggest result his generation has managed", including the victories over France in 2006 and 2007 and the Euro Championship play-off win at Hampden against the Netherlands in 2003.

He accepts the Scottish expedition to Dortmund on Sunday is replete with danger. The Euro 2016 campaign starts with a trip to play the world champions and Maloney has no doubts about the degree of difficulty involved. An armchair recce at the World Cup, particularly when watching Germany drub Brazil 7-1, convinced the Scottish midfielder of the quality of Joachim Loew's side.

"There was the 20-minute spell where it was as good as you will see. You were just in awe and a bit of shock," he says. "I don't think anyone expected that to happen. It was a pleasure to watch. That period was just devastating and that result did send shockwaves through everyone watching the tournament."

Yet Maloney is not dismayed by the prospect of playing Germany. At 31, he has a wealth of experience at Celtic, Aston Villa and now Wigan Athletic and faces a major test with anticipation rather than apprehension.

"It is quite motivating. In pre-season when you are training, these games stick out as a night to be involved in and you are desperate to get picked for the squad," he says.

"It is very motivating to have to be at your best to play against some of the best players in Europe and the world. It is brilliant. I am very fortunate to be involved, not everyone can be. It is something to look forward to."

He admitted to feeling nerves before a big match but insisted he would be bolstered by belief and experience. "The closer the game comes the more belief you get if we stick to our game plan, and with the way we have been playing recently," he says. "The odds are stacked in their favour but we have to play to our game plan and be as confident as we can."

Maloney, who has 32 caps, has a Teutonic history that gives him faith that Sunday in Dortmund need not be disastrous. Eleven years ago, he played and scored in the under-21 side that defeated the Germans 1-0 in Ahlen. Maloney received a pass from Darren Fletcher before driving the ball home. The class of 2003 also included the likes of James McFadden and Gary Caldwell.

The team was coached by Rainer Bonhof, the 1974 World Cup winner, who made a strong impression on his young charges. "I remember the first team played in Dortmund the following night. I have good memories of it," he says. "It was a brilliant night for the 21s. We were going through a purple period and a good bunch came through.The main thing I remember is the manager. Everyone loved him and we were sorry to see him go a couple of years later."

Maloney, a sometimes painfully introspective character, paid tribute to Bonhof's influence on his game.

"He encouraged me to spend time on the training pitch with setpieces. He was the first manager that I had known to be calm at all times, in games, at half-time, at training.

"He was very demanding but he wasn't as intense as the managers I had worked with. He was a different character. I loved it. I found his way of managing really enjoyable and I seemed to play well under him ."

Maloney, who won five titles at Celtic, worked under Martin O'Neill in his first spell at the club, saying: "Martin was so intense on the touchline. He was less intense during the week but Bonhoff was relaxed all week. We played a back three and he spent a lot of time tactically on that. That was something I wasn't used to, particularly in the national set-up at 21s. We had a good group and a lot of players flourished under him."

Maloney remains part of a generation that has not qualified for a major finals. The class of 98 remains the last successful graduates from group stages.

The forward, though, is optimistic.

"Coming into the qualifying our form is as good as we could have hoped for, really. There were moments under Walter Smith and Alex McLeish when we came very close. That was an opportunity missed. But the form we are in now, considering where we were before, is good," he says.

"Wales at home [ 2-1 defeat on March 2013] was a real low in terms of how we got beaten. But the way we've come on since then in the last 12 months particularly, we couldn't have asked for much more."

The demand now is for a result in Dortmund. Now that would produce shock and awe.