Germany coach Joachim Loew has revealed his 25-man squad for the upcoming international encounters following a press conference in Frankfurt on Friday.
For the last two international caps of the year Joachim Loew has appointed three new youngsters as Bayer Leverkusen’s Benjamin Henrichs, Wolfsburg’s Yannick Gerhardt and Werder Bremen’s Serge Gnarby made it into the 25-men squad.
“We take the last qualifying matches of the year very seriously,” Loew said. “In San Marino we want to reap a victory to cement our first place in the group. At the same time we want to give young players a chance. We want to see Serge Gnarby, Yannick Gerhardt and Benjamin Henrichs, who we all know from the Under-21. We have registered their good performances in the last months.”
Manchester City’s Leroy Sane, Dortmund’s Andre Schurrle as well as Roma’s Antonio Ruediger did not make it into the squad as they recently returned from injuries. They are expected to find their rhythm and stability with their clubs.
The German national team face San Marino for the World Cup qualifier in Group C on November 11. “We don’t want to be arrogant in any way in San Marino but we will do our tasks with great concentration and seriousness.”
Four days later Loew’s men travel to Italy to conclude 2016 with a test match. “Italy belongs to the great football nations. These are the game everyone is looking forward to. There is a lot of prestige involved,” Joachim Loew said.
After the winter break Germany host England for a friendly on March 22 before they see Azerbaijan for the fifth World Cup qualifying match four days later.
Germany’s full squad:
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen), Marc Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)
Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Yannick Gerhardt (Wolfsburg), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Benjamin Henrichs (Bayer Leverkusen), Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal), Sebastian Rudy (Hoffenheim), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfielders: Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Serge Gnarby (Werder Bremen), Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Max Meyer (Schalke), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Kevin Volland (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Weigl (Dortmund)
Strikers: Mario Gomez (Wolfsburg), Mario Gotze (Dortmund).
