Germany have to quickly rediscover their form to challenge for the Euro 2008 title, captain Michael Ballack said yesterday.

Injuries and poor form have left several of Germany's regulars short of match practice going into the friendly against tournament co-hosts Switzerland today.

Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has been kept on the bench at Arsenal while Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski has been sidelined by Italy's Luca Toni.

Podolski's Bayern team-mate Miroslav Klose has been far below his best while midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and defenders Philipp Lahm and Marcell Jansen have also struggled in 2008.

Ballack said there was no need to panic.

"I was asked about this back in January when it seemed almost all the team had some problem or other," the midfielder said.

"We still have two months to go though and a lot can happen in football. We need a fit and in-form team to achieve our aims and that is not what we have at the moment.

"We were in a similar situation before the last World Cup and I am optimistic that things will change."