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Resisting pressure No Deisler in Germany squad for Italy gamePosted: Thursday August 14, 2003 9:17 AMBERLIN (Reuters) -- Germany coach Rudi Voeller has resisted pressure to call up Bayern Munich midfielder Sebastian Deisler for Wednesday's friendly international against Italy in Stuttgart. "He is a very important player to us and it would be too risky to select him now," Voeller said after unveiling his 20-man squad on Thursday. "It's better for him at the moment to continue to train with Bayern." The gifted Deisler, one of few truly creative players in the German game, hardly played for Bayern in his first season at the club last term because of persistent injury worries. But he has impressed in champions Bayern's first two matches in the new Bundesliga season and could have been an option for Voeller, who has plenty of injury worries with Dietmar Hamann, Torsten Frings, Christoph Metzelder and Christian Ziege all sidelined. Voeller said he might still pick Deisler for two upcoming Euro 2004 qualifiers, away to Iceland on September 6 and at home against Scotland four days later. Bayern playmaker Michael Ballack was included in the squad for the game against Italy but a sore hip and a calf problem makes him a doubtful starter. Young Hamburg SV midfielder Christian Rahn might get a chance against Italy if Ballack cannot play. Germany and fellow three-times world champion Italy have not played each other since a 0-0 draw in a group game at the 1996 European championships in England. The German players will wear black armbands in Stuttgart in memory of Helmut Rahn, who scored two goals, including the winner, in Germany's 3-2 win over Hungary in the 1954 World Cup final in Berne. The German Football Association (DFB) said Thursday that Rahn had died. He was 73. German squad: Goalkeepers: Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich), Jens Lehmann (Arsenal) Defenders: Frank Baumann (Werder Bremen), Arne Friedrich, Michael Hartmann, Marko Rehmer (all Hertha Berlin), Andreas Hinkel (VfB Stuttgart), Tobias Rau (Bayern Munich), Christian Woerns (Borussia Dortmund) Midfielders: Michael Ballack, Jens Jeremies (both Bayern Munich), Paul Freier (VfL Bochum), Sebastian Kehl (Borussia Dortmund), Christian Rahn (Hamburg SV), Carsten Ramelow, Bernd Schneider (both Bayer Leverkusen) Strikers: Fredi Bobic (Hertha Berlin), Miroslav Klose (Kaiserslautern), Benjamin Lauth (TSV 1860 Munich), Oliver Neuville (Bayer Leverkusen) Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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