The groups for the qualifying round of the World Cup 2018 in Russia have been drawn. Sporting director Oliver Bierhoff himself drew the teams from the pot, with Germany falling into Group C alongside the Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Norway, Azerbaijan and San Marino. In an interview, the 47-year-old discusses Germany’s group opponents, the hosts Russia and the Germany’s upcoming challenges.
Question: Mr Bierhoff, the national team will play against the Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Norway, Azerbaijan and San Marino in the qualifiers for World Cup 2018 – are you happy with that?
Oliver Bierhoff: When you look at how it could have been, like in Group A with the Netherlands and France, or Group G with Spain and Italy, we can be very satisfied with the draw. The travel strain will also be less of a burden to us. We have exciting opponents and can look forward to the group.
Question: Manager Joachim Löw said it’s not that important who Germany are drawn with, as there is still EURO 2016 qualifiers to play.
Bierhoff: He has said openly that he doesn’t care. But I was under pressure to make sure I picked the right teams out of the hat!
Question: Who is the strongest opponent in your group?
Bierhoff: On paper the Czech Republic are definitely second favourites. It’s not going to be a walk in the park, but there aren’t any really tough opponents. Every qualification group has it’s attractions and dangers. We can see that in the EURO qualifiers as well. We can’t underestimate any of our opponents, but we’re obviously clear favourites. Compared to the other groups ours is fairly straightforward.
Question: What are your impressions of the host nation Russia?
Bierhoff: The people are very friendly and welcoming here. You can see that are pleased to have us here. I’m excited to get to know this country better.
Question: Is that it for now as far as World Cup 2018 is concerned?
Bierhoff: Sporting wise yes. Now we have to concentrate on qualifying for EURO 2016 and then prepare for the tournament. But soon we will start looking for bases in Russia. The Confederation Cup is a bit sooner so we need to look ahead. Obviously the EUROs are our priority for now though.
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The groups for the qualifying round of the World Cup 2018 in Russia have been drawn. Sporting director Oliver Bierhoff himself drew the teams from the pot, with Germany falling into Group C alongside the Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Norway, Azerbaijan and San Marino. In an interview, the 47-year-old discusses Germany’s group opponents, the hosts Russia and the Germany’s upcoming challenges.
Question: Mr Bierhoff, the national team will play against the Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Norway, Azerbaijan and San Marino in the qualifiers for World Cup 2018 – are you happy with that?
Oliver Bierhoff: When you look at how it could have been, like in Group A with the Netherlands and France, or Group G with Spain and Italy, we can be very satisfied with the draw. The travel strain will also be less of a burden to us. We have exciting opponents and can look forward to the group.
Question: Manager Joachim Löw said it’s not that important who Germany are drawn with, as there is still EURO 2016 qualifiers to play.
Bierhoff: He has said openly that he doesn’t care. But I was under pressure to make sure I picked the right teams out of the hat!
Question: Who is the strongest opponent in your group?
Bierhoff: On paper the Czech Republic are definitely second favourites. It’s not going to be a walk in the park, but there aren’t any really tough opponents. Every qualification group has it’s attractions and dangers. We can see that in the EURO qualifiers as well. We can’t underestimate any of our opponents, but we’re obviously clear favourites. Compared to the other groups ours is fairly straightforward.
Question: What are your impressions of the host nation Russia?
Bierhoff: The people are very friendly and welcoming here. You can see that are pleased to have us here. I’m excited to get to know this country better.
Question: Is that it for now as far as World Cup 2018 is concerned?
Bierhoff: Sporting wise yes. Now we have to concentrate on qualifying for EURO 2016 and then prepare for the tournament. But soon we will start looking for bases in Russia. The Confederation Cup is a bit sooner so we need to look ahead. Obviously the EUROs are our priority for now though.
