Image: Toni Kroos (right) and Thomas Müller. GES-Sportfoto
Müller had been on the list for last year’s A-team game against the Ivory Coast, but had then played for the U 21-juniors. Löw said: “Both Kroos and Müller have shown solid performances in the Bundesliga for months, so they deserve this chance in the national team. We had invited them for our physical performance screening in Stuttgart last month, and now they have another opportunity to make an impression.”
As for the game against the two-time World Champions Argentina, Löw said: “On Wednesday, we’ll play our final game before we nominate the World Cup roster. With Argentina, we face a strong opponent, which demands our very best effort. We look forward to one of the classic matchups in modern-day football.” Löw went on to say: “We have decided to appoint more players than usual. Especially in a ‘World Cup season’, it’s vital to take a close look at all potential tournament players, and to have many personal talks, which is our emphasis for these next few days.”
Bremen’s goalkeeper Tim Wiese had to pull out because of a ruptured muscle fiber. Whether Hamburg’s Marcell Jansen, who has fallen ill, joins the team, has not yet been decided.
Squad: M Neuer (Schalke), R Adler (Bayer Leverkusen); A Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), P Lahm (Bayern Munich), P Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), M Schafer (Wolfsburg), S Tasci (Stuttgart), J Boateng (Hamburg); M Ballack (Chelsea), C Gentner (Wolfsburg), T Hitzlsperger (Lazio), A Hunt, M Marin, M Ozil (all Werder Bremen), M Jansen, P Trochowski (both Hamburg), S Khedira, C Trasch (both Stuttgart), T Kroos (Bayer Leverkusen), T Muller, B Schweinsteiger (both Bayern Munich); Cacau (Stuttgart), M Gomez, M Klose (both Bayern Munich), S Kiessling (Bayer Leverkusen), L Podolski (Cologne).
[Source: DFB.de]
