Germany coach Joachim Loew has responded to his mounting injury list by giving youth a chance in next Wednesday's Euro 2012 warm-up friendly against France.
Germany host the French in Bremen and this is Loew's last chance to look at prospective players for Euro 2012, to be hosted by the Ukraine and Poland, before he names his final 23-man squad in May.
Loew is without four first-choice names in vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger (ankle), teenage midfield star Mario Goetze (groin), forward Lukas Podolski (foot) and defender Per Mertesacker (ankle).
To compensate, 22-year-old twins Lars and Sven Bender have been called up into the midfield from Bayer Levrkusen and Borussia Dortmund respectively.
Dortmund's Mats Hummels, Schalke Benedikt Hoewdes and Bayern Munich's Jerome Boateng, all 23, will be competing for the centre-back berths in defence.
Borussia Moenchengladbach attacking midfielder's Marco Reus, 22, is also included on the back of strong performances in the German league where he has scored 13 goals in 20 Bundesliga games this season.
The youngest player named is Leverkusen's 21-year-old attacking midfielder Andre Schuerrle, who has already made 11 appearances for his country and scored five goals.
Real Madrid midfielders Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil are also included, while upfront Loew has named three strikers in Bayern Munich's Mario Gomez, Stuttgart's Cacau and Miroslav Klose of Rome.
Klose has made 113 appearances for his country and with 63 goals to his credit, is just five short of the all-time German record number of goals.
Germany squad
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern München), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
Defenders: Dennis Aogo (Hamburg), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke 04), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Christian Traesch (VfL Wolfsburg), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund)
Midfielders: Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Sven Bender (Borussia Dortmund), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid/ESP), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid/ESP), Marco Reus (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen), Andre Schuerrle (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forwards: Mario Gomez (Bayern München), Miroslav Klose (Lazio Rome/ITA), Cacau (VfB Stuttgart)
Source: AFP
