FRANKFURT: Germany coach Joachim Low has named seven foreign-based players and seven from champions Bayern Munich in his preliminary squad of 30 ahead of the World Cup finals in Brazil writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

The foreigners include barely-fit Sami Khedira from Real Madrid, Italian-based defender Shkodran Mustafi from Italy’s Sampdoria and a Premier League quartet of Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski from Arsenal plus Andre Schurrle (Chelsea).

Veteran striker Miroslav Klose, from Lazio of Rome, can set two records in Brazil, becoming all-time top scorer for both Germany and in the World Cup finals.

Klose is Germany’s all-time joint leading marksman currently with Gerd Muller: both totalled 68 goals though it has taken Klose 131 appearances compared with Muller’s ‘mere’ 62.

Current World Cup leader is Ronaldo with 15 goals but Klose (and Muller) both have 14 to their name. Klose is one of only two players, along with Peruvian Teofilo Cubillas, to have scored at least five goals in two different World Cups, as well as the only player to have scored at least four in three different tournaments.

Preliminary squad

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover)

Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern), Erik Durm (Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Grosskreutz (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Höwedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Marcell Jansen (Hamburg), Philipp Lahm (Bayern), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Shkodran Mustafi (Sampdoria), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund)

Midfield: Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (Schalke), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Mario Götze (Bayern), André Hahn (Augsburg), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern), Max Meyer (Schalke), Thomas Müller (Bayern), Mesut Özil (Arsenal), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), André Schürrle (Chelsea), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern)

Strikers: Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Kevin Volland (Hoffenheim)

Squad for friendly v Poland

Goalkeepers: Ron-Robert Zieler(Hannover), Marc-André ter Stegen+ (Borussia Mönchengladbach)

Defenders: Sebastian Jung+ (Eintracht Frankfurt), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Christian Günter+ (Freiburg), Benedikt Höwedes(Schalke), Shkodran Mustafi(Sampdoria), Antonio Rüdiger+ (Stuttgart), Oliver Sorg+ (Freiburg)

Midfield: Maximilian Arnold+ (Wolfsburg), Sebastian Rudy+ (Hoffenheim), Lars Bender(Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler(Schalke), Leon Goretzka(Schalke), André Hahn(Augsburg), Christoph Kramer+ (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Max Meyer(Schalke), Kevin Volland(Hoffenheim)

+ not in squad of 30

World Cup schedule

May 13: Germany v Poland (Hamburg)

May 14: Squad reduction to 25

May 21: Start of 10-day training camp in South Tirol

Jun 01: Germany v Cameroon (Mönchengladbach)

Jun 02: Choice of 23-man World Cup squad

Jun 06: Germany v Armenia (Mainz)

Jun 07: Flight from Frankfurt to Salvador

Jun 08: Arrival at Campo Bahia training HQ in Santo André

Jun 16: Germany v Portugal (Salvador)

Jun 21: Germany v Ghana (Fortaleza)

Jun 26: Germany v United States (Recife)

 

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