Germany manager Joachim Löw named a squad of 23 players for Germany’s EURO qualifiers against Poland in Frankfurt (4th September, 20:45 CEST) and Scotland in Glasgow (7th September 20:45 CEST). Included in the squad for the first time is Emre Can (Liverpool), as well as Champions League winner Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Dortmund) and Kevin Volland (1899 Hoffenheim), who have all previously been in squads. Also included in the squad is captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, who will join up with the national team for the first time since his move to Manchester United.
On the topic of Can’s call up, Löw said, “Emre has developed well at Liverpool and he is versatile. We like his presence and dynamism. Now we just want to get to know him better over the next few days.” On Ginter, the manager says, “Matthias had a difficult year at Dortmund but he battled through, and he’s profiting from this now. His form is on the up – he’s shown some really good performances recently. We know that we can use him in various positions.”
The call up of Marc-André ter Stegen is one for the future. On his call up, Löw says, “Manuel Neuer is our number one, after that there’s currently no need to say anything else. We know Marc and know about his enormous potential.” Goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke adds, “With Manuel Neuer, Marc-André ter Stegen, Bernd Leno and Kevin Trapp we have four goalkeepers who are playing in the Champions League this season, so we have absolutely no concern about this position. I met with Roman Weidenfeller and openly told him that we want to see the younger goalkeepers at the moment so we can get a better idea heading into the EUROs.”
Löw: "It’s in our hands“
The games against Poland and Scotland are the penultimate round of qualifiers for EURO 2016 in France. After six matches Germany are currently in second position on 13 points in Group D, behind leaders Poland on 14 points. Scotland (11), Ireland (9), Georgia (3) and Gibraltar (0) complete the group. The top two in the group qualify directly for the finals in France alongside the best third-placed team from the nine qualifying groups. The other eight third-placed teams will then take part in a playoff for the final four places at the finals.
On the current situation in Group D, Löw says, “Qualification is in our hands and so is winning the group. But our goal can only be to win these two games, and I’m assuming that we’ll do that. We dropped a few points earlier in qualification so we have to embrace this situation. I’m convinced by the quality of my team and by the character of each player. We know what the deal is; we want to and will pick it up a notch. We are ready.”
Just one loss against Poland – in previous meeting
Germany have played 19 times against Poland, with a record of twelve wins, six draws and after losing 2-0 in Warsaw in qualification, one defeat. Löw has had his say on the Polish team: "We knew how dangerous they were even before the meeting in Warsaw. Adam Nawalka has quality players in his squad, and he has been able to build a real sense of unity. Qualification so far has shown how stable the Polish team is – just three goals conceded is an impressive defensive record."
The national coach continued: "They have shown their impressive diversity going forward. Nine different players have scored in qualification so far. We can’t therefore just concentrate on Robert Lewandowski. We have to be aware of this. Generally though, we don’t want to focus too much on the opposition, we’re more interested in our own performance. We have the quality and the belief to play our football against any team."
"Scots have long moved on from relying on physicality"
Three days after the match against Poland, Germany will travel to Glasgow for their third-last qualification match. There have been 16 meetings with Scotland in the past, with Germany recording seven wins, five draws and four defeats. In the previous meeting in the group stage, Germany triumphed 2-1 after a Thomas Müller brace.
Talking about the strengths of Scotland, Joachim Löw said: "They have long moved on from relying on their physicality. They play very good football, and always look to play their way out of trouble. Furthermore, they have kept their traditional strengths. They work very hard, have high levels of motivation, and always demand a good performance. In terms of volume, we are expecting a hostile atmosphere in Glasgow, as the Scottish fans will passionately support their team right up to the final whistle."
The European championship qualification ends with two matches in October. On the eighth of October (20:45 CEST) Germany will face Ireland in Dublin, and the group will be wrapped up on the eleventh of October (20:45 CEST) in Leipzig, with a game against Georgia.
created by mmc/clm, wh
Germany manager Joachim Löw named a squad of 23 players for Germany’s EURO qualifiers against Poland in Frankfurt (4th September, 20:45 CEST) and Scotland in Glasgow (7th September 20:45 CEST). Included in the squad for the first time is Emre Can (Liverpool), as well as Champions League winner Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Dortmund) and Kevin Volland (1899 Hoffenheim), who have all previously been in squads. Also included in the squad is captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, who will join up with the national team for the first time since his move to Manchester United.
On the topic of Can’s call up, Löw said, “Emre has developed well at Liverpool and he is versatile. We like his presence and dynamism. Now we just want to get to know him better over the next few days.” On Ginter, the manager says, “Matthias had a difficult year at Dortmund but he battled through, and he’s profiting from this now. His form is on the up – he’s shown some really good performances recently. We know that we can use him in various positions.”
The call up of Marc-André ter Stegen is one for the future. On his call up, Löw says, “Manuel Neuer is our number one, after that there’s currently no need to say anything else. We know Marc and know about his enormous potential.” Goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke adds, “With Manuel Neuer, Marc-André ter Stegen, Bernd Leno and Kevin Trapp we have four goalkeepers who are playing in the Champions League this season, so we have absolutely no concern about this position. I met with Roman Weidenfeller and openly told him that we want to see the younger goalkeepers at the moment so we can get a better idea heading into the EUROs.”
Löw: "It’s in our hands“
The games against Poland and Scotland are the penultimate round of qualifiers for EURO 2016 in France. After six matches Germany are currently in second position on 13 points in Group D, behind leaders Poland on 14 points. Scotland (11), Ireland (9), Georgia (3) and Gibraltar (0) complete the group. The top two in the group qualify directly for the finals in France alongside the best third-placed team from the nine qualifying groups. The other eight third-placed teams will then take part in a playoff for the final four places at the finals.
On the current situation in Group D, Löw says, “Qualification is in our hands and so is winning the group. But our goal can only be to win these two games, and I’m assuming that we’ll do that. We dropped a few points earlier in qualification so we have to embrace this situation. I’m convinced by the quality of my team and by the character of each player. We know what the deal is; we want to and will pick it up a notch. We are ready.”
Just one loss against Poland – in previous meeting
Germany have played 19 times against Poland, with a record of twelve wins, six draws and after losing 2-0 in Warsaw in qualification, one defeat. Löw has had his say on the Polish team: "We knew how dangerous they were even before the meeting in Warsaw. Adam Nawalka has quality players in his squad, and he has been able to build a real sense of unity. Qualification so far has shown how stable the Polish team is – just three goals conceded is an impressive defensive record."
The national coach continued: "They have shown their impressive diversity going forward. Nine different players have scored in qualification so far. We can’t therefore just concentrate on Robert Lewandowski. We have to be aware of this. Generally though, we don’t want to focus too much on the opposition, we’re more interested in our own performance. We have the quality and the belief to play our football against any team."
"Scots have long moved on from relying on physicality"
Three days after the match against Poland, Germany will travel to Glasgow for their third-last qualification match. There have been 16 meetings with Scotland in the past, with Germany recording seven wins, five draws and four defeats. In the previous meeting in the group stage, Germany triumphed 2-1 after a Thomas Müller brace.
Talking about the strengths of Scotland, Joachim Löw said: "They have long moved on from relying on their physicality. They play very good football, and always look to play their way out of trouble. Furthermore, they have kept their traditional strengths. They work very hard, have high levels of motivation, and always demand a good performance. In terms of volume, we are expecting a hostile atmosphere in Glasgow, as the Scottish fans will passionately support their team right up to the final whistle."
The European championship qualification ends with two matches in October. On the eighth of October (20:45 CEST) Germany will face Ireland in Dublin, and the group will be wrapped up on the eleventh of October (20:45 CEST) in Leipzig, with a game against Georgia.
