WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN—28 DAYS
Liverpool midfielder Emre Can and Dortmund’s Mario Gotze
have been left out of Germany’ preliminary 35-man squad for this summer’s World
Cup in Russia.
Can has been a regular for Jurgen Klopp’s side this season
and is expected to recover from a back injury in time for the tournament, but
there is no place for him in Joachim Low’s squad.
Gotze is another notable omission, with the 25-year-old
failing to make 35-man roster just 4 years after scoring the winning goal in
the World Cup final in Brazil.
However, Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil and Bayern Munich duo Jerome
Boateng and Manuel Neuer are all included despite concerns over their fitness,
with the latter having been sidelined since September.
There are also places for Man City duo Ilkay Gundogan and
Leroy Sane, while Freiburg’s uncapped Nils Peterson is a surprise inclusion in
the 35.
The 35-man list
Goalkeepers:
Bernd Leno (Leverkusen), Manuel Neuer (B. Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen
(Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (PSG).
Defenders:
Jerome Boateng (B. Munich), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Mats Hummels (B. Munich),
Joshua Kimmich (B. Munich), Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin), Antonio Rudiger
(Chelsea), Niklas Suele (B.Munich), Jonathan Tah (Leverkusen)
Midfielders:
Julian Brandt (Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (PSG), Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Ilkay
Gundogan (Man City), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Toni Kroos (R. Madrid), Mesut
Oezil (Arsenal), Sebastian Rudy (B. Munich).
Forwards:
Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart), Thomas Müller (B. Munich), Nils Petersen (Freiburg)
Marco Reus (Dortmund), Leroy Sane (Man City), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig).
