Dortmund trio ruled out of Germany friendly
Reuters - Monday 04 February 2013, 12:00
Germany will be without Borussia Dortmund trio Marcel Schmelzer, Marco
Reus and Mario Gotze when they take on France in a friendly in Paris on
Wednesday looking to end a 26-year wait for a victory over Les Bleus.
Defender
Schmelzer is out with an ankle problem, midfielder Gotze has a flu
virus and Reus picked up an adductor muscle injury in Sunday's 3-2
victory over Bayer Leverkusen, German FA spokesman Jens Grittner told a
news conference on Monday.
Grittner
said another Dortmund player, midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, would make
the trip despite a minor injury. He also added there were fitness doubts
concerning defender Lars Bender and striker Miroslav Klose.
Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger had already been ruled out of Wednesday's game with a minor knock.
The
spate of withdrawals are a worry for Germany who have lost five of
their last six meetings with France and last beat Les Bleus in August
1987.
"Records are there to be broken," said manager Oliver Bierhoff. "A win would be a good morale boost for our team."
Coach Joachim Low is set to start with in-form Hamburg SV keeper Rene Adler instead of first-choice Manuel Neuer.
Adler
lost his starting spot to Neuer after sustaining a rib injury ahead of
the 2010 World Cup and has not played for his country for more than two
years.
"I am happy to be part
of the team again," he said. "It is a sensational experience because I
know how quickly things can change."