RSS
ATOM
advertisement
Played
September 3, 2010 7:45 PM BST
Roi Baudouin, Brussel
Referee: Terje Hauge (NOR)
September 3, 2010 7:45 PM BST
Roi Baudouin, Brussel
Referee: Terje Hauge (NOR)
Euro 2012 Qualifying Preview: Belgium – Germany
Belgium and Germany kick off their respective Euro 2012 qualifying campaigns on Friday.
|
Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
By Clark Whitney
Belgians Hoping To Qualify For First Tournament Since 2002
It has been eight years since Belgium last qualified for a major international tournament, but perhaps their time has finally come once more. Like Group A opponents Germany, the Rode Duivels have a young, talented squad with tremendous potential just waiting to be tapped.
At the helm, there could be no better man: former Kortrijk coach Georges Leekens has taken over, and is no stranger to the task of refining raw talent. At Kortijk, Leekens had a similar task, and under his watch, the relatively small side boosted its standing in the Belgian Pro League from 14th to fifth place within a year. Similarly, Leekens has been called upon to bring stability and cohesion to a young and notoriously divided Belgium side.
In their most recent match, Belgium lost 1-0 to Finland. While the result was a disappointment, Leekens took several positives from the match.
“For me it was an interesting match,” he said. “I’ve seen what I needed to see. We tried out certain things. They didn’t always come off.”
“I believe in these players. The players were not satisfied in the dressing room. I heard a lot of self-criticism. They didn’t look for excuses. That was important.”
Belgium still may need some time to reach peak form, and their F.A.’s president, Francois de Keerkmaecker, has already set the bar at a conservative level.
“The first four matches (of Euro 2012 qualifying) will be crucial, but I think that the first match in Turkey will be more important than the match against Germany,” he said.
Leekens was somewhat more bullish:
“We know that the Germans will be stronger,” he admitted before adding, “We want to get a good result from the match.”
Germans Expecting To Maintain World Cup Form
Little more than three weeks after an experimental Germany side drew 2-2 with Denmark, coach Joachim Loew welcomes back his first-team regulars. Germany have reached at least the semi-finals of four of their last five tournaments, and following a third place finish at the 2010 World Cup, can enter Euro 2012 qualifiers full of confidence.
“Obviously we aim for a successful start to our qualifying run,” Loew told reporters in a pre-match press conference. We need to pick up where we left off at the World Cup.”
Loew was quick to explain that the World Cup was a thing of the past, and that Germany would have to approach the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with a clean slate.
“Our new season starts now. The praise we received for our performances in South Africa is behind us now, everybody faces new challenges as we enter a new competition.”
Indeed, there are many challenges for Germany squad members. After injuries kept them out of the World Cup, former #1 Rene Adler will compete for the chance to take back his goalkeeping gloves, and centre back Heiko Westermann will have to fight for a spot as well.
Until this week, even the Germany captaincy was in question, but Loew revealed on Wednesday that Michael Ballack would wear the armband after missing the World Cup with an ankle injury. The Leverkusen midfielder was not named to the Germany squad for September’s qualifiers, however, due to a lack of fitness.
In Ballack’s stead, Philipp Lahm will take the helm for his country, leading a squad that is primarily young, but vastly experienced nonetheless. Germany are on a strong run following the World Cup, and will be satisfied with nothing short of a comfortable win to kick off their qualifying campaign.
TEAM NEWS
Belgium
Jonathan Legear, Silvio Proto, Jelle van Damme, and Nicolas Lombaerts have all been ruled out of tomorrow’s match with various injuries. Additionally, Kevin de Bruyne is unlikely to earn much playing time due to back problems, as is Steven Defour, who is short of match practice following a long-term injury lay-off. Belgium are a bit uncertain in the fullback positions at the present time, and Leekens’ preferred pairing has yet to be decided, although the latest word is that Toby Alderweireld and Thomas Vermaelen (both natural centre backs) will start on the right and left sides of defence, respectively.
Probable Starting XI: Bailly – Alderweireld, Van Buyten, Kompany, Vermaelen – Simons, Vertonghen, Fellaini – Dembele, Lukaku, Hazard
Germany
World Cup absentees Michael Ballack and Simon Rolfes remain unfit, but Loew will welcome back Rene Adler, Heiko Westermann, and Christian Traesch, who missed the summer tournament with various injuries. Westermann is likely to earn a starting role at the expense of Arne Friedrich, who will miss the next three months with a back injury. Additionally, Marcell Jansen is tipped to start n the left side of defence after Jerome Boateng suffered a knee injury. Otherwise, Loew will likely use the same squad that featured throughout the World Cup.
Probable Starting XI: Neuer – Lahm, Mertesacker, Westermann, Jansen – Khedira, Schweinsteiger – Mueller, Oezil, Podolski – Klose
It has been eight years since Belgium last qualified for a major international tournament, but perhaps their time has finally come once more. Like Group A opponents Germany, the Rode Duivels have a young, talented squad with tremendous potential just waiting to be tapped.
At the helm, there could be no better man: former Kortrijk coach Georges Leekens has taken over, and is no stranger to the task of refining raw talent. At Kortijk, Leekens had a similar task, and under his watch, the relatively small side boosted its standing in the Belgian Pro League from 14th to fifth place within a year. Similarly, Leekens has been called upon to bring stability and cohesion to a young and notoriously divided Belgium side.
In their most recent match, Belgium lost 1-0 to Finland. While the result was a disappointment, Leekens took several positives from the match.
“For me it was an interesting match,” he said. “I’ve seen what I needed to see. We tried out certain things. They didn’t always come off.”
“I believe in these players. The players were not satisfied in the dressing room. I heard a lot of self-criticism. They didn’t look for excuses. That was important.”
Belgium still may need some time to reach peak form, and their F.A.’s president, Francois de Keerkmaecker, has already set the bar at a conservative level.
“The first four matches (of Euro 2012 qualifying) will be crucial, but I think that the first match in Turkey will be more important than the match against Germany,” he said.
Leekens was somewhat more bullish:
“We know that the Germans will be stronger,” he admitted before adding, “We want to get a good result from the match.”
Germans Expecting To Maintain World Cup Form
Little more than three weeks after an experimental Germany side drew 2-2 with Denmark, coach Joachim Loew welcomes back his first-team regulars. Germany have reached at least the semi-finals of four of their last five tournaments, and following a third place finish at the 2010 World Cup, can enter Euro 2012 qualifiers full of confidence.
“Obviously we aim for a successful start to our qualifying run,” Loew told reporters in a pre-match press conference. We need to pick up where we left off at the World Cup.”
Loew was quick to explain that the World Cup was a thing of the past, and that Germany would have to approach the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with a clean slate.
“Our new season starts now. The praise we received for our performances in South Africa is behind us now, everybody faces new challenges as we enter a new competition.”
Indeed, there are many challenges for Germany squad members. After injuries kept them out of the World Cup, former #1 Rene Adler will compete for the chance to take back his goalkeeping gloves, and centre back Heiko Westermann will have to fight for a spot as well.
Until this week, even the Germany captaincy was in question, but Loew revealed on Wednesday that Michael Ballack would wear the armband after missing the World Cup with an ankle injury. The Leverkusen midfielder was not named to the Germany squad for September’s qualifiers, however, due to a lack of fitness.
In Ballack’s stead, Philipp Lahm will take the helm for his country, leading a squad that is primarily young, but vastly experienced nonetheless. Germany are on a strong run following the World Cup, and will be satisfied with nothing short of a comfortable win to kick off their qualifying campaign.
TEAM NEWS
Belgium
Jonathan Legear, Silvio Proto, Jelle van Damme, and Nicolas Lombaerts have all been ruled out of tomorrow’s match with various injuries. Additionally, Kevin de Bruyne is unlikely to earn much playing time due to back problems, as is Steven Defour, who is short of match practice following a long-term injury lay-off. Belgium are a bit uncertain in the fullback positions at the present time, and Leekens’ preferred pairing has yet to be decided, although the latest word is that Toby Alderweireld and Thomas Vermaelen (both natural centre backs) will start on the right and left sides of defence, respectively.
Probable Starting XI: Bailly – Alderweireld, Van Buyten, Kompany, Vermaelen – Simons, Vertonghen, Fellaini – Dembele, Lukaku, Hazard
Germany
World Cup absentees Michael Ballack and Simon Rolfes remain unfit, but Loew will welcome back Rene Adler, Heiko Westermann, and Christian Traesch, who missed the summer tournament with various injuries. Westermann is likely to earn a starting role at the expense of Arne Friedrich, who will miss the next three months with a back injury. Additionally, Marcell Jansen is tipped to start n the left side of defence after Jerome Boateng suffered a knee injury. Otherwise, Loew will likely use the same squad that featured throughout the World Cup.
Probable Starting XI: Neuer – Lahm, Mertesacker, Westermann, Jansen – Khedira, Schweinsteiger – Mueller, Oezil, Podolski – Klose
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
|
Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
-
Belgium 0-3 Germany
- 18.68 %
-
Belgium 0-2 Germany
- 17.02 %
-
Belgium 0-4 Germany
- 11.35 %
| Euro 2012 (EC) | Oct 11, 2011 | Germany 3 - Belgium 1 |
|
| Euro 2012 (EC) | Sep 3, 2010 | Belgium 0 - Germany 1 |
|
| International Friendlies (FR) | Aug 20, 2008 | Germany 2 - Belgium 0 |
|
Belgium
   |
||
| Nov 15, 2011 | France 0 - Belgium 0 | FR |
| Nov 11, 2011 | Belgium 2 - Romania 1 | FR |
| Oct 11, 2011 | Germany 3 - Belgium 1 | EC |
| Oct 7, 2011 | Belgium 4 - Kazakhstan 1 | EC |
| Sep 6, 2011 | Belgium 1 - United States 0 | FR |
Germany
  |
||
| Nov 15, 2011 | Germany 3 - Netherlands 0 | FR |
| Nov 11, 2011 | Ukraine 3 - Germany 3 | FR |
| Oct 11, 2011 | Germany 3 - Belgium 1 | EC |
| Oct 7, 2011 | Turkey 1 - Germany 3 | EC |
| Sep 6, 2011 | Poland 2 - Germany 2 | FR |
|
Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
|
Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
|
Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
- Likened to Franz Beckenbauer and wanted by Inter & Tottenham, but Ajax's Jan Vertonghen must become more consistent to succeed at a bigger club
- France's Laurent Blanc disappointed with goalless draw against Belgium
- Player Ratings: France 0-0 Belgium
- France 0-0 Belgium: Honours even in stale Stade de France draw
| - | Logan Bailly | |
| - | Thomas Vermaelen | Defender |
| 4 | Vincent Kompany | Defender |
| 3 | Daniel Van Buyten | Defender |
| 2 | Toby Alderweireld | Defender |
| 5 | Jan Vertonghen | Defender |
| 10 | Marouane Fellaini | Midfielder |
| 6 | Timmy Simons | Midfielder |
| 7 | Eden Hazard | Midfielder |
| 11 | Moussa Dembele | Striker |
| - | Romelu Lukaku | Striker |
| 15 | Jean-François Gillet | Goalkeeper |
| - | Laurent Ciman | |
| - | Olivier Deschacht | |
| 16 | Axel Witsel | Midfielder |
| 15 | Steven Defour | Midfielder |
| - | Christian Benteke | |
| 10 | Jelle Vossen | Goalkeeper |
| 1 | Manuel Neuer | Goalkeeper |
| - | Marcell Jansen | |
| 17 | Per Mertesacker | Defender |
| 14 | Holger Badstuber | Defender |
| 16 | Philipp Lahm | Defender |
| 7 | Bastian Schweinsteiger | Midfielder |
| 6 | Sami Khedira | Defender |
| 13 | Thomas Müller | Striker |
| 10 | Lukas Podolski | Striker |
| 8 | Mesut Özil | Midfielder |
| 11 | Miroslav Klose | Striker |
| 12 | Tim Wiese | Goalkeeper |
| 35 | Christian Träsch | Midfielder |
| 21 | Marko Marin | Midfielder |
| 23 | Mario Gomez | Striker |
| 5 | Heiko Westermann | Defender |
| 18 | Toni Kroos | Midfielder |
| 19 | Cacau | Striker |
| Thomas Müller | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 13 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The golden boot winner at the World Cup, Mueller has rapidly matured into one of the greatest players in world fotball. From his right wing position, the Bayern Munich man will be called upon to provide much of the creativity and punctuation in his country's attack, while also backtracking to support Philipp Lahm in defence.
0 
0 
4 
3 
2 
5 
10 
6 
7 
11 
0 
1 
0 
17 
14 
16 
7 
6 
13 
10 
8 
11 Thank you for your comment!
Please enter your name
Please enter your location
Please share your comment!
63 Comments
Advertisement
Match News
Advertisement
