GERMANY: German football coach Loew says Ballack, Gomez to miss Germany's Wembley trip

Record ID: 1535257

  • Title: GERMANY: German football coach Loew says Ballack, Gomez to miss Germany's Wembley trip
  • Date: 17th August 2007
  • Summary: (BN11) FRANKFURT, GERMANY (AUGUST 16, 2007) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (German) UWE SEELER, FORMER GERMANY PLAYER SAYING: "Wembley is something special and I think every player would confirm that. That's why I'm already looking forward to the next game, even though it's only a friendly. But these games against England are always of a special nature which you can't even describe. I'm looking forward to it and I hope it will be special again on the 22nd." WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) PAUL BREITNER, FORMER GERMANY PLAYER, SAYING: "One fact needs to be mentioned: this year the Germany team was the only team which played up to expectations in international top football." WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 1st September 2007 14:44
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA1MHATENGON814H8PNV541U6WX
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Germany will be without several key players for their first visit to the
    new Wembley Stadium in London next week.
    Germany will be without captain Michael Ballack and striker Mario
    Gomez when they take on England in a friendly international at Wembley on Aug.
    22.
    Ballack has yet to play for Chelsea this season because of his ankle
    injury, while Gomez, Player of the Year in the Bundesliga last season, has a
    thigh problem.
    Midfielders Torsten Frings and Tim Borowski were also left out of a
    20-man squad named on Thursday (August 16) by coach Joachim Loew because of
    injury.
    Midfielder Sami Khedira and defender Serdar Tasci, both of champions
    VfB Stuttgart, were called up for the first time by Loew.
    "They (Khedira and Tasci) are both still very young but both of
    them have the ability not to get nervous in stress situations," Loew
    said.
    "Both of them are relatively grown up already as far as their
    personality goes. That's why we decided to give those two players a chance to
    see how they act within the A team."
    Visits to Wembley have always been occasions to savour according to
    former Germany striker Uwe Seeler.
    "Wembley is something special and I think every player would
    confirm that. That's why I'm already looking forward to the next game, even
    though it's only a friendly. But these games against England are always of a
    special nature which you can't even describe," he said.
    Germany are five points clear at the top of Euro 2008 qualifying group
    D. Their next competitive match is away to Wales on September 8.
    Another veteran player, Paul Breitner, said Germany was the only
    international side to meet expectations this year.

    Squad:
    Goalkeepers: Timo Hildebrand (Valencia, Spain), Jens Lehmann (Arsenal,
    England)
    Defenders: Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Clemens Fritz (Werder
    Bremen), Marcell Jansen (Bayern Munich), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per
    Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid, Spain), Serdar
    Tasci (VfB Stuttgart)
    Midfielders: Roberto Hilbert (VfB Stuttgart), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB
    Stuttgart), Sami Khedira (VfB Stuttgart), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen),
    Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich),
    Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg SV)
    Forwards: Patrick Helmes (Cologne), Stefan Kiessling (Bayer
    Leverkusen), Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke 04).
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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