Germany's quest begins with Poland friendly
Germany begin preparing for the European championships in earnest with a friendly against co-host Poland on Tuesday.
- Associated Press
- Updated: September 04, 2011 05:06 PM IST
Germany begin preparing for the European championships in earnest with a friendly against co-host Poland on Tuesday.
With qualification already assured, coach Joachim Loew indicated he will "try out one or another" player at the Gdansk Arena stadium, especially built for next summer's tournament in Poland and Ukraine.
Bayer Leverkusen's 22-year-old midfielder Lars Bender was called up for the first time, while Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Oezil and Bayern Munich teammates Bastian Schweinsteiger and Manuel Neuer were excused.
Poland, looking for its first ever win over their neighbour, hope France-based Damien Perquis can help sort out their defense. The Sochaux defender was granted Polish citizenship by President Bronislaw Komorowski on Thursday.