Team profile: Germany

Germany have a reputation for over achieving. Their much maligned side reached the final in 2002, and the host nation is once again underperforming on the eve of the tournament.  They’ll be looking to go one better this time around in front of a parochial home crowd.

FIFA Ranking: 19

Coach: Juergen Klinsmann

Key players: Michael Ballack, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lukas Podolski

World Cup record: 15th appearance

Best finish: Champion 1954, 1974, 1990

Last appearance: Runner up 2002

Qualifying route: Host

Key question: Will home ground advantage be enough for this team so drastically out of form?

Squad:

Goalkeepers#
Jens Lehmann1
Oliver Kahn12
Timo Hildebrand23
Defenders
Marcell Jansen2
Arne Friedrich3
Robert Huth4
Jens Nowotny6
Philipp Lahm16
Per Mertesacker17
Christoph Metzelder21
Midfielders
Sebastian Kehl5
Bastian Schweinsteiger7
Torsten Frings8
Michael Ballack13
Thomas Hitzlsperger15
Tim Borowski18
Bernd Schneider19
David Odonkor22
Forwards
Mike Hanke9
Oliver Neuville10
Miroslav Klose11
Gerald Asamoah14
Lukas Podolski20

Group matches:

v Costa Rica, 16:00 GMT, Friday 9th June – Munich

v Poland, 19:00 GMT, Wednesday 14th June – Dortmund

v Ecuador, 14:00 GMT, Tuesday 20th June – Berlin

 

Source: Al Jazeera