B2: Croatia 2 - 1 Germany - 12/06/08

[Trim]

Euro 2008, Group B
Croatia v Germany

Stadium: Wörthersee, Klagenfurt
Kick-off: Thursday, 12 June 2008, 18.00h

[Trim]

The expected line-up, according to Sport-Bild:

Lehmann - Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm - Fritz, Frings, Ballack, Podolski - Gomez, Klose

Only one change from the line-up of last match.
Friedrich is there instead of Jansen. Friedrich at right back, and Lahm at the left.

Still not definite though. I hope to see Jansen play again.

[Vargas_4]

I dunno man. Jansen was very vulnerable and all of Poland's attacks came from the left.

I would like to see what Friedrich has to offer.

[__-SNAKE-__]

I dont think changing the back line would be any different, its true Jansen lost some chances to attack against Poland but he did do great overlaps also I preffer Lahm on the right than Friedrich. I think we should put Ballack in more offensive role and Frings covering the centre and Fritz/Schweini and Poldi taking the wings.

[Trim]

Originally Posted by Vargas_4

I dunno man. Jansen was very vulnerable and all of Poland's attacks came from the left.

I would like to see what Friedrich has to offer.

Jansen's stats of last match:

- Jansen had more touches than anyone else (92)
- He won 61% of his one-on-one duels

I'm sure Friedrich can't manage half of those.

[BlackNess]

Originally Posted by Vargas_4

I dunno man. Jansen was very vulnerable and all of Poland's attacks came from the left.

I would like to see what Friedrich has to offer.

I disagree, Jansen wasn't that bad, he screwed only once.

[Oliver_Kahn]

Originally Posted by Trim

Jansen's stats of last match:

- Jansen had more touches than anyone else (92)
- He won 61% of his one-on-one duels

I'm sure Friedrich can't manage half of those.

not really. Friedrich is better tackler than Jansen, hence why he plays CB as well, which makes him more solid defensively. Friedrich doesn't have much pace though, he might struggle if Olic drops to the left side. But it all depends on what Löw wants, a more solid defence or a more offensive line-up.

[Trim]

Podolski expected to play again as Germany plans little change

Two-goal hero Lukas Podolski is set to keep his place on the left wing as Germany coach Joachim Loew sees no reason for major changes to his winning team for the second Euro 2008 game with Croatia. "It is quite clear that there won't be many changes," Loew told a news conference on Tuesday, 48 hours ahead of the match.

Captain Michael Ballack said: "If you perform well in the first game and the team performance is good then the coach has little reason to make changes."

However, Ballack quickly added that "the coach will decide on the lineup" and that "the same players don't have to start in every match."

Loew has not released his lineup but gave enough indications that Germany will play like in the 2-0 win against Poland on Sunday.

"We always try to play our game, to enforce our game plan and to make the most of our tactics," said Loew.

The popular Podolski scored both goals against his birth-country and Loew will probably not deny him a 50th cap against Croatia - thus benching Podolski's Munich team-mate Bastian Schweinsteiger again.

In this scenario Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose would be the starting forwards like on Sunday.

But there could be a change in defence behind Podolski on the left as Marcell jansen was not always convincing. Philipp Lahm could move back from the right side to the left in place of Jansen, with Arne Friedrich coming in as right back.

It did not go unnoticed that Loew heaped praise on the Hertha Berlin Friedrich on Tuesday, saying: "He is in fantastic shape. I have rarely seen him that strong."

Loew said that the coaching staff will discuss the opponent and then inform the team about Croatia.

Germany defeated Croatia 2-1 in the quarter-finals en route to the Euro 1996 title but then crashed 3-0 against them two years later in the World Cup quarters.

"We know they have a great team with great individuals," said Loew of the opponent which has several players such as forward Ivan Klasnic earning their money in the German Bundesliga.

Ballack named the game a second step on the desired path to the title on June 29, which would require a steady improvement of the German team which he sees at 80-85 per cent of its full strength.

"We will face more opposition from Croatia than in our first game. We want to make the final, we must improve on the way," said Ballack.

Podolski expected to play again as Germany plans little change : Sports

[Trim]

Friedrich playing waiting game

Germany defender Arne Friedrich may not have been involved in the opening 2-0 defeat of Poland but the Hertha BSC Berlin man is ready to play his part when called on.

Frustration
Coach Joachim Löw praised the versatile 29-year-old in a press conference on Tuesday and Friedrich, capped 57 times, confirmed that he was eager to get playing. "I am naturally delighted about the praise and I feel really good at the moment but in spite of that it is, of course, difficult for a player to be left on the bench at the beginning of a tournament," he said. "After all, I was first choice at the last two big tournaments."

Ready to play
Friedrich was a starter at UEFA EURO 2004™ and the 2006 FIFA World Cup but he admits that after Sunday's Group B win he expects to be on the bench again when Germany take on Croatia in Klagenfurt on Thursday. "The team did very well in the formation in which they played and, considering that, the coach won't want to make any changes," he said. "If he does wish to use me, though, I am of course ready. They will surely play a lot deeper than Poland did in the first game. They have a very experienced central defence and they won't make life easy for us. Nevertheless, I am quite sure that we will win."

Fans pleased
Equally optimistic is assistant coach Hans-Dieter Flick. "I think we have a good chance of winning this game, although we are up against a Croatia side who are defensively very strong with fantastic individual players," he said. "We won't be overawed by that, though, and will attempt to impose our game on our opponents. Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and ourselves have displayed the best attacking football thus far. That's what the fans want to see and it's what we want to offer."

euro2008.uefa.com - Friedrich playing waiting game

[Trim]

Podolski Eyeing Qualification With 50th Cap

Germany forward Lukas Podolski is looking forward to trying to seal qualification fron Euro 2008's Group B tomorrow against Croatia...

"It is important that we put in a good performance," said Podolski.

Podolski, 23 as of last week, scored both goals in the 2-0 win over Poland and will be looking to build on that performance against Croatia. Should Germany win, they will have secured qualification to the quarterfinals.

"Winning my 50th cap is not something I am thinking about, it is just important to play well and get the win," said Podolski.

"Of course, it would be super if results mean we have qualified for the European Championships quarterfinals."

Perhaps more impressive than the two goals is the fact he scored them from left wing - though he played with something of a free role - whether coach Joachim Löw will persist with this tactic remains to be seen, but he has certainly been impressed with Podolski's recent showings.

"Lukas is playing very well," declared Löw.

"He is a real danger to goalkeepers, especially when coming from deep."

Ballack believes the setup should remaind the same. "There is no real reason to make any changes to the set-up."

Goal.com - Euro 2008 - Podolski Eyeing Qualification With 50th Cap

[Trim]

According to Bundesliga.de, the line-up from last match is not changing.

1 Lehmann - 16 Lahm, 17 Mertesacker, 21 Metzelder, 2 Jansen - 4 Fritz, 8 Frings, 13 Ballack, 20 Podolski - 11 Klose, 9 Gomez

[Vargas_4]

Looking forward to what we can do.

I just hope Lehmann doesn't fuck up...

[BlackNess]

Referee : Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)

[Trim]

No Jokes As Bilic Eyes Germany Clash

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic showed he was in no mood for flippant banter during yesterday's press conference as his team prepare for their EURO 2008 clash with Germany…

Bilic, an enthusiastic musician, was asked by one of the reporters at the pre-match media junket in Klagenfurt to compare the German team to a style of music.

But the former Croatia defender was incensed by the light-hearted request, insisting it was neither the time nor the place for such frivolous indulgences.

"This is not the opera, this is a football match," he barked. "I know we're in Austria but please don't ask me these questions.

"This is for kids magazines or metalheads, not for the day before a match and plus I already answered it yesterday from one of your Bulgarian colleagues."

Souvenir

Undoubtedly the most anticipated fixture of Group B, tonight’s clash has evoked memories of the 1998 World Cup, when Croatia produced one of their finest ever football moments by defeating Germany 3-0 in the quarterfinals.

Bilic was playing in that match in France a decade ago and remembers it very fondly, but he insisted past achievements will count for nothing at the Worthersee Stadion.

"I certainly like to think back to that match as all Croatians do because it is one of our great victories, maybe even our greatest victory," he said.

"But I don't think that means much now because it won't give us an extra corner kick or anything. But it's a nice souvenir."

No Point

When asked if he would show a video of the match to his players as inspiration, Bilic said: "We won't do that, we mentioned it a few times because some of my players were children then and they sometimes ask us what it was like back then and how it felt.

"But there's not much point in showing how (Robert) Jarni scored and how he beat (Andreas) Koepke the German goalkeeper because these players won't play."

Croatia captain Niko Kovac agreed with his coach, saying: "That's all in the past, we all watched it on television if we weren't there but we live in the present and everything has changed over the last 10 years," he said.

"Football has grown much faster, we are us and the side that played in '98 were other players.

"But we're optimists and we believe we have a realistic chance of qualifying for the quarterfinals."

Contenders

Croatia came into the EURO finals as dark horses for the title, having caught the continent’s attention with their home and away victories against England during the qualifying stages.

But Bilic agreed that a win over Germany would catapult them to the unfamiliar plane of genuine contenders.

"Definitely," he said. "Any team that beats Germany can hope to beat anybody but this championships has shown, even though there's been only one draw, that the teams are more or less even.

"Even with the outcome of matches such as Spain-Russia and Netherlands-Italy all the sides are well prepared and motivated.

"Sometimes it's a decision taken in five seconds that makes the difference, remember (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic's goal.

"The Russians hit the post, although the 4-1 (Spain) win was justified but still it could have been different, so with each new match and new start you have to be fully concentrated, focused and courageous, and of course you need that little portion of luck."

Goal.com - Euro 2008 - No Jokes As Bilic Eyes Germany Clash

[Trim]

Ballack: We Must Raise Our Game

Germany captain Michael Ballack believes he and his compatriots will receive their first true test of EURO 2008 when they face Croatia on Thursday…

Both teams triumphed in their opening encounters of Group B, Croatia edging past determined co-hosts Austria while Germany defeated an organised Poland side 2-0.

They go head to head at the Worthersee Stadion tonight knowing the winner will be all but guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals.

And while Ballack was pleased with his team’s performance against the Poles, he expects much tougher opposition from a Croatian outfit determined for success.

"We can be happy with beating Poland but we will know our true level after this game," Ballack said.

"It is a different task. Croatia want to be European champions and they beat England twice, which is no easy feat."

Improve

Lukas Podolski scored twice against the country of his birth to lead Germany to a comfortable win in Klagenfurt on Monday.

Ballack was involved in each of the goals, and he knows he will have to at least maintain that quality of output if the Mannschaft are to go deep into the knockout rounds.

"It was a very good first performance, there were no gaps in our lines," the Chelsea midfielder explained.

"We have to raise our game because we will come across stronger teams in the tournament like Croatia.

"We will be more challenged and we cannot make mistakes. We want to go into the final and we will have to improve."

Goal.com - Euro 2008 - Ballack: We Must Raise Our Game