Gomez out, six uncapped named on preliminary Germany roster
Published:ermany, the third-favourites to win the World Cup at 11/2 with Coral, have omitted former Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez from their preliminary 30-man squad.
National coach Joachim Low must whittle his down to 23 over the next month, but decided not to risk the Fiorentina striker, who has struggled with injuries this season. Veteran Lazio target man Miroslav Klose (33/1 to be top scorer in Brazil) is in, though.
Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has been included, however, as he is back in training following a cruciate ligament injury last autumn. Arsenal trio Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski are also named.
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have seven representatives on Low’s initial roster. They are number one Manuel Neuer; defenders Jerome Boateng and captain Philipp Lahm; midfielders Mario Gotze, Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger; and forward Thomas Muller.
DFB Pokal finalists Borussia Dortmund also have a strong presence, contributing six players, including uncapped full back Erik Durm. Keeper Roman Weidenfeller; utility man Kevin Grosskreutz; defenders Mats Hummels and Marcel Schmelzer; and attacker Marco Reus complete the Westfalenstadion contingent.
Midfield pair Sven Bender and Ilkay Gundogan miss out, however, as both are recovering from lengthy lay-offs. The former’s brother Lars is the sole representative from Bayer Leverkusen, as Low continues to ignore striker Stefan Kiessling following their spat.
The five other uncapped players picked are defender Shkodran Mustafi (Sampdoria); Schalke duo Leon Goretzka and Max Meyer; winger Andre Hahn (Augsburg) and forward Kevin Volland (Hoffenheim).
Highly-rated Borussia Monchengladbach stopper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is a surprise omission, but was instead named in a friendly squad to face Poland on May 13th. Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover), formerly of Manchester United, got the nod for Brazil instead as third keeper.
The Poland friendly takes place before the DFB Pokal and FA Cup finals, so Low had to name another squad that did not include Arsenal, Munich and Dortmund players.
Benedikt Howedes (Schalke) and Marcell Jansen (Hamburg) join Matthias Ginter (Freiburg) in providing defensive cover. Julian Draxler, the former’s teammate in Gelsenkirchen, and Chelsea forward Andre Schurrle complete the roster.
Germany are the odds-on 1/2 favourites to win World Cup Group G, which also contains Ghana, Portugal and the USA.
Preliminary Germany squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich); Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund); Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover)
Defenders: Philipp Lahm and Jerome Boateng (both Bayern Munich); Per Mertesacker (Arsenal); Marcell Jansen (Hannover); Mats Hummels, Marcel Schmelzer and Erik Durm (all Borussia Dortmund); Benedikt Howedes (Schalke); Matthias Ginter (Freiburg); Shkodran Mustafi (Sampdoria)
Midfielders: Bastian Schwensteiger, Toni Kroos and Mario Gotze (all Bayern Munich); Mesut Ozil (Arsenal); Sami Khedira (Real Madrid); Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen); Julian Draxler, Leon Goretzka and Max Meyer (all Schalke); Kevin Grosskreutz (Borussia Dortmund); Andre Hahn (Augsburg)
Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Lazio); Lukas Podolski (Arsenal); Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich); Andre Schurrle (Chelsea); Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund); Kevin Volland (Hoffenheim)
