After defeat in Poland and a draw at home to Republic of
Ireland, Joachim Low's men will be hoping to get back to their best against the
newest Uefa entrant. Germany's underwhelming start to their Euro 2016
qualifying campaign should receive a boost when the world champions face
Gibraltar on Friday. Germany have been nursing a World Cup hangover since
their triumph in Brazil in July and are third in Group D with four points from
three games after a less than stellar start.
Poland and Ireland helped themselves to seven apiece, and
Germany will be eyeing a similar tally, though the usual calls to avoid
complacency have been made by the home side.
The stark disparity in quality between the two squads is
evident, with four among the German ranks - Toni Kroos, Mario
Gotze, Muller and Manuel Neuer - shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or last
month.
But while those players may see this as just another game on
the world stage, for Jonas Hector it could be a landmark occasion.
The Cologne full-back will be hoping to win his first
cap, but the 24-year-old admits he struggled to believe it when he was given
word of the call-up by boss Peter Stoger.
"I wanted to be sure that the coach wasn't messing with
me," he told DFB.de. "I came back from the training ground and
when I got to reception, I saw that I had a voicemail. I then tried to ring the
coach back, but I didn't have any luck.
"But eventually we got through and we spoke for a short
time. It all came as a surprise to me. I would never have thought that I would
have had the chance to be in the squad so quickly."
The Germans are missing a string of key players, including
captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, winger Marco Reus and attacking midfielder
Julian Draxler. But even without them the four-time World Cup winners
should have no problems against Gibraltar, who are competing in their maiden
qualifying tournament.
For Gibraltar Ryan
Casciaro has not been called up to the squad, so Aaron Payas may start
here.Jordan Perez could come in between the sticks after missing the 3-0 defeat
to Georgia. Other than that, Allen Bula may not feel the need to make
wholesale changes.
Germany also face European champions Spain in a friendly on
Nov. 18 in Vigo.
Gibraltar, a British overseas territory which borders the
southern tip of Spain, was accepted as a UEFA member after a 14-year battle
during which it faced fierce opposition from Spain. The team played their first
international in September.
With a tiny pool of amateur players to choose from,
Gibraltar would be happy with a low-scoring defeat.
Allen Bula`s players have had a harsh introduction to the
qualifiers having conceded 17 goals in three games and scored none.
Source : Goal.com , Sky Sports, Zee news
