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 Lehmann | 1 |
Oliver Kahn | 12 |
Timo Hildebrand | 23 |
Defenders | |
Marcell Jansen | 2 |
Arne Friedrich | 3 |
Robert Huth | 4 |
Jens Nowotny | 6 |
Philipp Lahm | 16 |
Per Mertesacker | 17 |
Christoph Metzelder | 21 |
Midfielders | |
Sebastian Kehl | 5 |
Bastian Schweinsteiger | 7 |
Torsten Frings | 8 |
Michael Ballack | 13 |
Thomas Hitzlsperger | 15 |
Tim Borowski | 18 |
Bernd Schneider | 19 |
David Odonkor | 22 |
Forwards | |
Mike Hanke | 9 |
Oliver Neuville | 10 |
Miroslav Klose | 11 |
Gerald Asamoah | 14 |
Lukas Podolski | 20 |
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