© EuroFootball.com
The preliminary list of 27 German national team footballers for the European Championship starting in June has been announced.
Perhaps the only surprise is the call-up of Schalke's full-back Julian Draxler to the national team.
"There are young players in the squad who have not yet participated in such an important tournament, but we have an advantage over the 2008 or even the 2010 championships, as we now feel a stronger foundation beneath us," said coach Joachim Low.
And he added: "I don't think we are clear favorites. Spain has shown stability in recent years, and there are other strong teams as well. Winning the European Championship has always been very difficult."
Low plans to announce the final squad on May 29.
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer ("Bayern"), Tim Wiese ("Hoffenheim"), Ron-Robert Zieler ("Hannover"), Marc-Andre ter Stegen ("Moenchengladbach")
Defenders: Holger Badstuber ("Bayern"), Jerome Boateng ("Bayern"), Mats Hummels ("Borussia"), Per Mertesacker ("Arsenal"), Benedikt Howedes ("Schalke"), Philipp Lahm ("Bayern"), Marcel Schmelzer ("Borussia")
Midfielders: Bastian Schweinsteiger ("Bayern"), Sami Khedira ("Real Madrid"), Sven Bender ("Borussia"), Lars Bender ("Bayer"), Ilkay Gundogan ("Borussia"), Toni Kroos ("Bayern"), Julian Draxler ("Schalke"), Marco Reus ("Moenchengladbach"), Mario Gotze ("Borussia"), Mesut Ozil ("Real")
Forwards: Mario Gomez ("Bayern"), Miroslav Klose ("Lazio"), Cacau ("Stuttgart"), Thomas Muller ("Bayern"), Andreas Schurrle ("Bayer"), Lukas Podolski ("Koln").
