Joachim Loew delays German World Cup qualifier squad announcement by a day

Joachim Loew

German national team coach Joachim Loew has decided to delay his squad nomination for the two crucial 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Austria and Faroe Islands by a day with the announcement now to be made on Friday, August 30.

Joachim Loew has some injury worries which would have prompted him to delay his final squad decision by a day as Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gündogan and Arsenal FC striker Lukas Podolski are sure to miss the two matches, while Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger picked-up a small niggle yesterday at SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga, and might also have to opt out of the international matches depending on what happens in the UEFA Super Cup on Friday against Chelsea FC.

But one thing is clear that Bayern Munich’s Toni Kroos will return to the squad after missing the Paraguay friendly due to the birth of his first child, while Mario Goetze could also make a comeback though he has only played two matches for Bayern Munich since signing for them.

This situation leaves Loew with a lot of possible replacements, who had made the Germany squad for the USA tour in the summer. The question is who from these boys, amongst them Sidney Sam and Max Kruse, could get a chance to be part of the squad, while the fight for the third goalkeeper slot intensifies as Borussia Dortmund’s Roman Weidenfeller is challenging the younger Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96) and Marc-André ter Stegen (Mönchengladbach).

For Joachim Loew and Germany, the two qualifiers are crucial. A win at home in Munich against Austria on September 6 and then four days later away on the Faroe Islands would ensure Germany’s passage to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.