"Conditions here have been excellent. I am satisfied with our preparations for the tournament", said Germany's coach Joachim Löw just prior to his team's first appearance at the EURO 2008, a Group B match against Poland. The team has stayed at Ascona in Switzerland since June 2, following a ten-day camp on Mallorca. On Saturday, a charter carried Löw and his squad to the smallest Austrian host city Klagenfurt, where they are scheduled to meet Poland.
"Everybody feels reliefed that the tournament is about to begin, but we face a severe challenge", said Löw. "There is no warm-up lap at a European Championship. We expect a very tough game against Poland", said Löw. His assistant Hans-Dieter Flick pointed out, that the Polish team, coached by Leo Beenhakker, has many Dutch attributes: "They are a physical and disciplined team."
With the exception of Tim Borowski, who is weakened by the flu, every player on the 23-player roster reported healthy for today's game. "Miroslav Klose has made great strides these last few days. The same can be said about Christoph Metzelder and Mario Gomez", said Löw, who praised Poland's team: "They mastered the qualifying round with ease, and they have matured visibly due to the coaching of Leo Beenhakker. It will be a great game on Sunday."
"We have a solid team and we have known each other for a while", said Michael Ballack. The 31-year old captain (81 caps) is determined to end a long run of mediocrity at the EURO. The Mannschaft has not won a game at the European Championship since 1996. On the other hand, in 15 games Poland has yet to register a win against Germany.
Jürgen Klinsmann, who had coached Germany at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, send staff and players an SMS message with his best wishes.
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"Conditions here have been excellent. I am satisfied with our preparations for the tournament", said Germany's coach Joachim Löw just prior to his team's first appearance at the EURO 2008, a Group B match against Poland. The team has stayed at Ascona in Switzerland since June 2, following a ten-day camp on Mallorca. On Saturday, a charter carried Löw and his squad to the smallest Austrian host city Klagenfurt, where they are scheduled to meet Poland.
"Everybody feels reliefed that the tournament is about to begin, but we face a severe challenge", said Löw. "There is no warm-up lap at a European Championship. We expect a very tough game against Poland", said Löw. His assistant Hans-Dieter Flick pointed out, that the Polish team, coached by Leo Beenhakker, has many Dutch attributes: "They are a physical and disciplined team."
With the exception of Tim Borowski, who is weakened by the flu, every player on the 23-player roster reported healthy for today's game. "Miroslav Klose has made great strides these last few days. The same can be said about Christoph Metzelder and Mario Gomez", said Löw, who praised Poland's team: "They mastered the qualifying round with ease, and they have matured visibly due to the coaching of Leo Beenhakker. It will be a great game on Sunday."
"We have a solid team and we have known each other for a while", said Michael Ballack. The 31-year old captain (81 caps) is determined to end a long run of mediocrity at the EURO. The Mannschaft has not won a game at the European Championship since 1996. On the other hand, in 15 games Poland has yet to register a win against Germany.
Jürgen Klinsmann, who had coached Germany at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, send staff and players an SMS message with his best wishes.
