Coach of the German National team, Joachim Loew announced the 27-man preliminary squad for the Euro 2016 in a press conference on Tuesday. The final squad will be submitted to the UEFA by 31 May.
The squad features no surprises in the goalkeeping department with Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer, Bayer Leverkusen’s Bernd Leno and Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Neuer is the confirmed starter for Germany and will be starting the Euro 2016 fixture in June.
Bayern Munich’s latest purchase from Dortmund, Mats Hummels is a part of the squad and will be leading the defence along with soon to be team-mate. Valencia’s Shkodran Mustafi and Liverpool’s Emre Can should be in contention for starting matches at the Euros.
The midfield and attack look solid and feature veterans like Bastian Schweinsteiger, who will have recovered from injury by then and Juventus’ Sami Khedira to anchor the defence. Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil has been selected after a record 19 assists in England and should be one of the prime creative outlets for Germany at the tournament.
Schweinsteiger has not played a game for Manchester United since March and his match fitness will be a doubt for the Euros. He has been out with a medial collateral ligament tear but has been selected in the squad.
In the striking department, Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller and Mario Gomez are the recognised centre forwards and have enjoyed good form with their clubs. Galatasaray’s Lucas Podolski is the surprise addition to the squad.
The uncapped players given an opportunity in the squad are Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich and Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Weigl. Mario Gomez makes a return to international tournaments after winning the Turkish Super Lig with Besiktas.
Germany have a wealth of creative prowess as Toni Kroos, Mario Gotze and Marco Reus are included in the squad. The team will be looking to continue their success in International tournaments by following up their World Cup victory with another good showing in France.
The provisional squad for the Euro is given below:
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer, Bernd Leno, Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Defenders: Jerome Boateng, Emre Can, Jonas Hector, Benedikt Howedes, Mats Hummels, Shkodran Mustafi, Sebastian Rudy, Antonio Rudiger
Midfield & attack: Karim Bellarabi, Julian Brandt, Julian Draxler, Mario Gotze, Mario Gomez, Sami Khedira, Joshua Kimmich, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski, Marco Reus, Leroy Sane, Andre Schurrle, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Julian Weigl
