Mertesacker back in Germany squad after injury

Germany coach Joachim Loew called defender Per Mertesacker back to his squad yesterday for a Euro 2008 qualifier against Cyprus in Nicosia next week.

Mertesacker, a stalwart in the Germany side that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, has not played since that 2-0 loss against Italy on July 4. He returned to play in the Bundesliga last month but was not included in Loew's squad until now at the request of Werder Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf.

But Loew will be without another World Cup star, striker Lukas Podolski. Rather than replace the Bayern Munich player with one of several young German strikers having good runs in the Bundesliga, Loew instead opted to take a small squad for the Cyprus match.

Loew will have to do without several players with injuries. Christoph Metzelder, Sebastian Kehl, Tim Borowski, Marcell Jansen and Alexander Madlung are among those missing.

Loew's squad

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

Defenders: A. Friedrich (H. Berlin), Fathi (H. Berlin), Mertesacker (W. Bremen), Fritz (W. Bremen), M. Friedrich (Mainz 05), Lahm (B. Munich).

Midfielders: Ballack (Chelsea), Schweinsteiger (B. Munich), Frings (W. Bremen), Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen), Odonkor (Sevilla), Hitzlsperger (Stutt-gart), Trochowski (Hamburg SV).

Strikers: Klose (W. Bremen), Hanke (Wolfsburg), Neuville (B. M'gladbach), Schlaudraff (A. Aachen).