Midfielders Goetze, Guendogan back in Germany squad

Midfielders Mario Goetze and Ilkay Guendogan made a comeback to the German squad for football friendlies against England and France, Germany head coach Joachim Loew has confirmed.

After 354 days of absence, Dortmund's Goetze and Manchester City's Guendogan have been appointed again for Germany's national team, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Mario Goezte and Ilkay Guendogan have stabilised after their injury breaks. They play important roles in their clubs and are in rhythm. They have proven what they can do for their team when they are fit. We are glad that they are back," Loew said.

Loew ensured a surprise after appointing Leipzig's 26-year-old defender Marcel Halstenberg for the first time for the national team.

"Marcel has consistently performed well in his club and has proven in the Champions League that he can compete on an international level. We are convinced of his potential. Now we have the opportunity to test him against strong teams," Loew explained.

The 25-man squad is composed of eight 2014 FIFA World champions and 16 players, who won the FIFA Confederations Cup in the summer 2017.

The Germans travel to England to take on the "Three Lions" on November 10 before France encounter the "Nationalelf" four days later in Cologne. The upcoming international caps are part of Loew' s preparation for the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018.

"At the end of the year we meet two top national teams at eye level. These are going to be really good tests, which will provide us further insights with a view to the World Cup," Loew said.

"England is very strong at the moment and has many good young players. France has also many outstanding players, all of them are well trained, fast and athletic."

Germany's full squad:

Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Paris St. Germain)

Defender: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Monchengladbach), Marcel Halstenberg (Leipzig), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin), Antonio Ruediger (Chelsea), Niklas Suele (Bayern Munich)

Midfielder/Forwards: Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Emre Can (FC Liverpool), Julian Draxler (Paris St. Germain), Mario Goetze (Borussia Dortmund), Ilkay Gunedogan (Manchester City), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Mesut Oezil (Arsenal), Sebastian Rudy (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Manchester City), Lars Stindl (Borussia Monchengladbach), Sandro Wagner (Hoffenheim), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig), Amin Younes (Ajax).

--IANS

tri/vm