Germany coach Joachim Loew will be hoping the national team captaincy debate has not taken the focus off Friday’s Euro 2012 qualifying opener against Belgium in Brussels.
Loew has now made it clear midfielder Michael Ballack, who missed the World Cup through injury, will remain captain if and when he returns to the squad — but, for now, Philipp Lahm is skipper.
Loew has by and large his World Cup squad available although he will have to rejig the defence as a result to injuries to Arne Friedrich and Jerome Boateng. The Hamburg pair Heiko Westermann and Marcell Jansen could get the nod.
There should be no need to change midfield where Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira will hold the centre, with Thomas Mueller and Lukas Podolski either side of Mesut Oezil.
“At the World Cup, Schweinsteiger and Khedira fulfilled their jobs just as I had wanted,” Loew said, indicating that Ballack is not necessarily a first-choice even when he returns to the squad.
Schalke’s Manuel Neuer meanwhile keeps his place in goal despite the return of erstwhile first-choice Rene Adler following injury.
Loew will be hoping for six points from the two games against Belgium and Azerbaijan in Cologne on Tuesday in Group A, which also features Turkey, Austria and Kazakhstan.
“The qualification is a marathon,” Loew said. “I count Belgium, Turkey and Austria as the main rivals to win the group.”
Belgium have a poor record against the Germans, with four wins and 18 defeats — including the final of the 1980 European Championships — in 23 matches against either Germany or West Germany.
The last seven matches have been defeats and the last victory goes back to 1954.
Coach Georges Leekens, back in charge for a second time, has had to compensate for several injuries, but promises to attack the Germans at every opportunity.
“I am not going to promise a victory never mind good football but we are young and enthusiastic — and want to win,” he said.
“I can assure you my Red Devils will fight from the first to the last second.” Leekens led Belgium to the 1998 World Cup finals and was appointed by the federation again in May to succeed Dick Advocaat in the hope of taking the country to the Euro 2012 tournament in Ukraine and Poland.
He has to make two late call-ups as a result of injuries but hopes Genk midfielder Kevin de Bruyne (back injury) and Zenit St Petersburg defender Nicolas Lombaerts (thigh muscle) will be available.
Belgium has players who know the Germans well, including Bayern Munich defenders Daniel van Buyten and Vincent Kompany, who joined Manchester City from SV Hamburg.
Leekens also has accomplished defenders in captain Thomas Vermaelen of Arsenal and Toby Alderweireld of Ajax, but insists he will not be seeking just to contain Germany.
“We haven’t got the team that can defend for 90 minutes,” he said. “We have to put pressure on Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Podolski, (Miroslav) Klose, Mueller, Oezil.”
