World Cup winners Germany are in no mood to experiment against minnows Gibraltar in their Euro 2016 qualifier tomorrow, promising a goal bonanza to make amends for recent poor results.

The Germans, who clinched their fourth World Cup in Brazil in July, are third in qualifying Group D after only one win in their three games.

“Gibraltar are not the opponents who can knock everyone down,” team manager Oliver Bierhoff told reporters.

“We hope to score lots of goals and it is not often one can say that. We want to offer attractive football to excite people,” he said of the game in Nuremberg which is sold out.

Gibraltar, a British overseas territory which borders the southern tip of Spain, was accepted as a UEFA member after a 14-year battle during which it faced fierce opposition from Spain. The team played their first international in September.

With Spain hosting Germany in a friendly in Vigo four days later, coach Joachim Loew had said he wanted to experiment and tinker with the team, especially after the international retirements of Miroslav Klose, Per Mertesacker and Philipp Lahm.

But the results in October changed his mind.

“The results from the two matches,” Bierhoff said, when asked why there were not many new players called up despite initial plans.

“After the flops we wanted to have a good finish to the year and also in the game against Spain we did not want to go out with a team that does not have our 100 per cent trust.

“It does not matter who we play against. We have to have this World Cup-winning confidence and also deliver such a performance.”

The Germans are on four points in the qualifying group along with fourth-placed Scotland, with Poland and Ireland top on seven.

Friendlies

Germany have scheduled friendly international matches against Australia and the United States next year in order to fine-tune preparations for their next European Championship qualifiers, Bierhoff told reporters yesterday.

The Germans will face Australia in Kaiserslautern on March 25 four days before a qualifier in Georgia, Bierhoff said before realising these matches have not been officially announced.

“Sometimes you have to give facts,” he joked at a news conference before also announcing a friendly in June against the United States, coached by former Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann.

“It will be good to face Juergen’s team again,” said Bierhoff.

The game will be played in early June, before the June 13 qualifier in Gibraltar.

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