Germany coach Joachim Low. PHOTO Via FIFA.comMUNICH (Sporting Alert) — Joachim Low has named a strong 30 player preliminary squad to prepare for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, but there was no place for Fiorentina striker Mario Gomez.
Gomez, a former Bayern Munich star player, has just recovered from a knee injury and Low didn’t want to take a gamble on picking the forward.
At the sometime, there was a call up for veteran striker Miroslav Klose, who himself has also had his own share of injuries this season, as well as Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira, who missed most of the season because of a knee injury.
Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil and forward Lukas Podolski, midfielder Marco Reus of Borussia Dortmund and Schalke’s winger Julian Draxler are also in the squad.
Low said he will reduce his squad to “25 to 26 players” after the German DFB Pokal final on Saturday and a friendly against Poland on Tuesday.
He will then select his final 23-member squad for the World Cup at the end of the month.
Germany squad
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover).
Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Erik Durm, Kevin Grosskreutz (both Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Marcell Jansen (Hamburg), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Shkodran Mustafi (Sampdoria), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund).
Midfielders: Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (Schalke), Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich), Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Andre Hahn (Augsburg), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Max Meyer (Schalke), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Andre Schurrle (Chelsea), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Kevin Volland (Hoffenheim), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg).
Forwards: Lukas Podolski (Arsenal), Miroslav Klose (Lazio).
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