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 Germany
No sooner had the national team lost to Italy in the 2006 World Cup
semi-finals than German players, fans and media pundits were
confidently predicting a glorious Euro 2008, and expectations have not
diminished since then. No fewer than 54 per cent of respondents in a
poll by Kicker magazine said they felt Germany would be victorious in
the Final in Vienna on June 29, and they were not merely surfing a wave
of patriotic blind faith.
This summer, there is little chance of Germany revisiting their low water mark of recent times (the group-stage exits at both Euro 2000 and 2004). The self belief and sense of adventure built up
during the last World Cup is still in evidence, the team have a settled
and successful pattern of play, there is more youthful exuberance than
for some time and, crucially, much more talent.
Goalkeepers:
Jens Lehmann (Arsenal)
Robert Enke (Hanover
96)
Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Defenders:
Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid)
Per
Mertesacker (Werder Bremen)
Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)
Arne
Friedrich (Hertha Berlin)
Marcell Jansen (Bayern Munich)
Clemens Fritz (Werder Bremen)
Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04)
Midfielders:
Michael Ballack (Chelsea)
Thomas Hitzlsperger
(VfB Stuttgart)
Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen)
Torsten Frings
(Werder Bremen)
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich)
Piotr
Trochowski (Hamburg SV)
Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen)
Jermaine
Jones (Schalke 04)
David Odonkor (Real Betis)
Marko Marin
(Borussia Moenchengladbach)
Forwards:
Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich)
Lukas Podolski
(Bayern Munich)
Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart)
Kevin Kuranyi
(Schalke 04)
Oliver Neuville (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
Patrick Helmes (Cologne)
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