Germany promise goal bonanza against Gibraltar
BERLIN (Reuters) - World Cup winners Germany are no mood to experiment against minnows Gibraltar in their Euro 2016 qualifier on Friday, promising a goal bonanza to make amends for recent poor results.
The Germans, who clinched their fourth World Cup in Brazil in July, are third in qualifying Group D after only one win in their three games.
"Gibraltar are not the opponents who can knock everyone down," team manager Oliver Bierhoff told reporters on Tuesday.
"We hope to score lots of goals and it is not often one can say that. We want to offer attractive football to excite people," he said of the game in Nuremberg which is sold out.
Gibraltar, a British overseas territory which borders the southern tip of Spain, was accepted as a UEFA member after a 14-year battle during which it faced fierce opposition from Spain. The team played their first international in September.
With Spain hosting Germany in a friendly in Vigo four days later, coach Joachim Loew had said he wanted to experiment and tinker with the team, especially after the international retirements of Miroslav Klose, Per Mertesacker and Philipp Lahm
But the results in October changed his mind.
"The results from the two matches," Bierhoff said, when asked why there were not many new players called up despite initial plans.
"After the flops we wanted to have a good finish to the year and also in the game against Spain we did not want to go out with a team that does not have our 100 percent trust."
"It does not matter who we play against. We have to have this World Cup-winning confidence and also deliver such a performance.
The Germans are on four points along with fourth-placed Scotland, with Poland and Ireland top on seven.
"Our aim is to become European champions. This is my aim and that of the team. So we have to get those points back," said winger Lukas Podolski.
"We have to do everything necessary to achieve our aim."
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)
