Kolkata: Germany suffered a blow ahead of their crucial quarter final tie against Latin American giants Brazil in the ongoing FIFA U17 World Cup. Coach Christian Wueck will miss their attacking midfielder Dennis Jastrzembski while they also have injury concern for three players ahead of their quarterfinal against Brazil here on October 22.
The left-winger Jastrzembski, who formed a fine combination with John Yeboah to his right along with Jann-Fiete Arp, is serving a suspension after a second yellow in the 55th minute in their 4-0 rout of Colombia in New Delhi.
Germany coach Christian Wueck also faces a tricky time ahead of the high-voltage match, with his midfielder Yannik Keitel is recovering from an injury that he sustained in the 12th minute in their match against Colombia.
Keitel was conspicuous by his absence during the team’s official training at the Saltlake Stadium here this evening.
The German U17 players had a rigorous training session under lights today at the practice pitches of the Salt Lake Stadium.
According to the gaffer both teams would have equal chances in the quarter final. Talking about the rivalry both teams share over the years,
Germany had inflicted their heaviest defeat on Brazil, when they won 7-1 in the semifinal en route to winning the World Cup 2014
But last year at the Rio Olympics, Brazil beat Germany on penalties to win the gold medal.
“They are a very good side, everyone has noticed that. Each team has equal chance to win the quarterfinal. It’s very important for us to come good in the game and win the tackles. We know what have to do and have two-three days to prepare,” Wueck told reporters on the sidelines of their training session at the Saltlake Stadium.
The U-17 team started off on a winning note but their campaign stuttered after being stunned 0-4 by Iran in the group stage.
“It was very necessary to get better on the defence. After Iran match we have improved for sure. Each player is getting better each day. The whole team is in a good shape,” Wueck said.
Germany advanced to the knockouts with a 3-1 win over Guinea while their best came in the last match when they blanked Colombia 4-0 to make the quarterfinal against Brazil here. The German Coach is excited at the prospect of playing in front of a sold out crowd on Sunday.
“It’s a pleasure to play in the huge stadium in front of 40-50,000 crowds. But there’s no pressure for us,” signed off the German coach.