Germany: No real surprises

German national team coach Joachim Loew today announced the provisional 27 member squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Stuttgart. By June 1 he will have to cut the squad to the final 23 players.

For the friendly against Malta on May 13 in Aachen Loew has named five future players, to give them a feel of international football. This is necessary as captain Michael Ballack will be busy with Chelsea playing the English FA Cup, while Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen players still have to play the German FA Cup plus the Bayern also have to play the UEFA Champions League final.

The squad has a strong Bayern Munich block - Holger Badstuber, Hans Joerg Butt, Mario Gomez, Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Mueller und Bastian Schweinsteiger - seven players from the Bundesliga champions, who could win a rare triple in the coming weeks.

Captain Michael Ballack is the most experienced player with 98 internationals, while defenders Dennis Aogo and Holger Badstuber are still to play for Germany.

And there weren't any major surprises when the squad was announced to the media through a video show. That Hans Joerg Butt would be No. 3 has been clear in the last few days. Missing from the squad will be defender Marcel Schaefer plus midfielders Thomas Hitzlsperger, Christian Gentner and Aaron Hunt.

Some expected youngster defenders Mats Hummels and Benedikt Hoewedes to make the provisional squad. But both weren't named, though Hummels at least will be in the squad for the Malta game.


Germany

Goalkeepers
Hans Joerg Butt (FC Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (FC Schalke 04), Tim Wiese (SV Werder Bremen)

Defenders
Dennis Aogo (Hamburger SV), Holger Badstuber (FC Bayern Munich), Andreas Beck (1899 Hoffenheim), Jerome Boateng (Hamburger SV), Arne Friedrich (Hertha BSC Berlin), Marcell Jansen (Hamburger SV), Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (SV Werder Bremen), Serdar Tasci (VfB Stuttgart), Heiko Westermann (FC Schalke 04)

Midfielders
Michael Ballack (FC Chelsea London), Sami Khedira (VfB Stuttgart), Toni Kroos (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Marko Marin (SV Werder Bremen), Mesut Özil (SV Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern Munich), Christian Träsch (VfB Stuttgart), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV)

Forwards
Cacau (VfB Stuttgart), Mario Gomez (FC Bayern Munich), Stefan Kießling (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Miroslav Klose (FC Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (1.FC Cologne), Thomas Müller (FC Bayern Munich)


Future Players
Tobias Sippel (Goalkeeper, 1.FC Kaiserslautern); Stefan Reinartz (Defender, Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Mats Hummels (Defender, Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Großkreutz (Midfielder, Borussia Dortmund), Marco Reus (Midfielder, Borussia Moenchengladbach)