Loew calls up three uncapped players

Coach Joachim Loew has called up three untried players to Germany's squad for next month's matches against Georgia and Slovakia.

Hamburg SV playmaker Piotr Trochowski, Alemannia Aachen forward Jan Schlaudraff and Werder Bremen defender Clemens Fritz make up the trio of uncapped outfield players in the squad announced yesterday.

Germany are top of Euro 2008 qualifying Group D after beating Ireland and San Marino in their two games so far.

They have a friendly against Georgia in Rostock on Oct. 7 before playing their third qualifying match away to Slovakia on Oct. 11.

Loew also called up Robert Enke, the 29-year-old Hanover 96 goalkeeper, for the first of the two games. Enke was in the squad for the Confederations Cup in 1999 in Mexico but has yet to play for Germany.

Missing from the squad are Gerald Asamoah, who suffered a compound leg fracture in Schalke 04's UEFA Cup defeat by Nancy on Thursday, and Werder Bremen pair Tim Borowski and Per Mertesacker.

Christoph Metzelder, Sebastian Kehl, Jens Nowotny, Robert Huth and Sebastian Deisler were also ruled out because of long standing injury problems.

Germany's squad

Goalkeepers: Enke (Hanover), Hildebrand (Stuttgart), Lehmann (Arsenal).

Defenders: Fathi (H. Berlin), A. Friedrich (H. Berlin), M. Friedrich (Mainz), Fritz (W. Bremen), Jansen (B. M'gladbach), Lahm (Bayern Munich), Madlung (Wolfsburg).

Midfielders: Ballack (Chelsea), Frings (W. Bremen), Hitzlsperger (Stuttgart), Odonkor (Real Betis), Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen), Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Trochowski (Hamburg).

Forwards: Hanke (Wolfsburg), Klose (W. Bremen), Neuville (B. M'gladbach), Podolski (Bayern Munich), Schlaudraff (A. Aachen).