World Cup Teams - Germany

Germany recently received some bad news.  Captain Michael Ballack will be missing the World Cup thanks to a reckless tackle he received in the FA Cup final against Portsmouth.  Germany have won this tournament three times and will need to be at their best to win it a fourth.  Germany have one of the trickier groups to navigate.  Australia should be a win, but Ghana and Serbia will much harder.  Especially without Ballack.

No real surprises with the 27-man squad named.  The majority of the players are currently playing in the Bundesliga with big names such as Butt, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Podolski, and Klose all making the squad.  The Germans seem to be solid up front, but their midfield will definitely suffer without Ballack.  In fact, going further back down the pitch the defense seems like it could also be a liability.  We will find out soon enough.  The group stages will be a big test for the Germans and will set the tone for their entire World Cup.

Goalkeepers: Hans-Jorg Butt (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)

Defenders: Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Jerome Boateng (Hamburg), Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim), Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Serdar Tasci (Stuttgart), Marcell Jansen (Hamburg), Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Dennis Aogo (Hamburg).

Midfielders: Sami Khedira (Stuggart), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg), Marko Marin (Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Christian Trasch (Stuttgart), Mesut Ozil (Werder Bremen), Toni Kroos (Bayer Leverkusen).

Forwards: Lukas Podolski (Cologne), Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Stefan Kiessling (Bayer Leverkusen), Cacau (Stuttgart), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich).

World Cup Matches
June 13 - Germany vs Australia
June 18 - Germany vs Serbia
June 23 - Germany vs Ghana