England v Germany November 2013: Latest
England boss Roy Hodgson is confident that Joe Hart will show up well after all but confirming that the goalkeeper will start against Germany on Tuesday.
Manchester City star Hart was left out for the 2-0 Wembley defeat to Chile on Friday evening, but is expected to step back in in place of Fraser Forster for the clash with Germany.
Tuesday is a tough mental test, a test of attitude and application.
Roy Hodgson
“Joe Hart is an experienced goalkeeper, he understands the way of the world,” Hodgson told reporters. “He understands when he loses his place in the Man City team and is criticised for letting a couple in, what happened will happen.
“I don’t need to take him to one side and say ‘by the way, Joe, this is what happens in football’. I have too much respect for him as a professional and a man.
“Tuesday is a tough mental test, a test of attitude and application, but I fully believe that Joe understands that and is ready for it.” Hart has also lost his place in the City line-up in recent weeks, with Romanian Costel Pantilimon being preferred by Manuel Pellegrini.
England defender Phil Jones will miss the game because of a groin problem. The 21-year-old Manchester United defender sustained the injury in Friday’s 2-0 defeat by Chile and has returned to his club.
His United team-mates Michael Carrick and Danny Welbeck have already been ruled out through injury. Hodgson is hopeful Tottenham right-back Kyle Walker will recover from his injury in time.
Skipper Steven Gerrard and forwards Daniel Sturridge and Rickie Lambert will be assessed when they report back to England’s base in Watford on Sunday.
England boss Roy Hodgson will hope he can recall on some players who missed the Chile game as his side will still come up against a strong Germany team.
German Team news…
England will face a German side without Mesut Ozil, Philip Lahm and Manuel Neuer in Tuesday’s friendly at Wembley. Germany were already without the injured Sami Khedira, but coach Joachim Low rested the trio to try “new tactical variations and personnel”.
Low said: “They are the absolute backbone of our team and for me, it is more important to give others a chance against such a strong team as England.”
Low may be without Bayern Munich defender Lahm and goalkeeper Neuer, plus Arsenal star Ozil, but he could include the likes of Bayern attackers Thomas Mueller and Mario Goetze, plus Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus.
Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker also joins the squad after missing the 1-1 draw with Italy on Friday because of illness.
Khedira, 26, tore a cruciate knee ligament in the friendly in Milan before the weekend and could be out for six months, putting his World Cup place in doubt.
But Low said he was “optimistic” that the Real Madrid midfielder would be fit in time for the tournament, starting in June.
Germany are second in Fifa’s world rankings, eight places above England, with both sides already qualified for next year’s World Cup in Brazil, having topped their respective groups.
Former German midfielder Michael Ballack said Germany would start the game as favourites. And he said it would be taken a lot more seriously than most friendly fixtures.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek: “I don’t see England as being the same level as teams like Germany or Spain. They’re a bit behind.
“They have a lot of talented players, but are still a big name. We always had great respect when we played England.
“This is not a real friendly game. England are playing Germany and it’s always a big rivalry.”
The ex-Bayern and Chelsea player added: “At the next World Cup England must use their name, use their quality and have confidence. Then everything is possible.
“When Germany goes to a big tournament we know we have to deliver because teams before us have done it.
“We don’t want to be the team that goes out of the tournament early, so that creates a certain type of pressure.”
Soccer betting
England are 2/1 to defeat the Germans on Tuesday evening and can be backed at 3/1 to keep a clean sheet, while Germany are 8/1 to gain a repeat of the 1-0 win they secured in 2000 in the final game at Wembley before it was redeveloped
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.