Germany v Poland preview

Jun 8 2008

GERMANY captain Michael Ballack has tipped star striker Mario Gomez to set Euro 2008 alight with his goals.

The Stuttgart frontman arrives in Austria and Switzerland on the back of a brilliant Bundesliga campaign.

Gomez hit 19 goals in the German league - beaten only by 24-goal Luca Toni who played six games more for Bayern Munich.

And Ballack tips Gomez - who scored against Rangers at Ibrox in last season's Champions League - to carry that form into the European Championship.

The 22-year-old, though half-Spanish, represented his birth country of Germany at various youth levels before breaking in to the full national team in 2007.

Since then he's struck six times in nine international appearances and been linked with a summer move to Arsenal.

Ballack is excited about Gomez ahead of today's opener with Poland and said: "The German surprise could be Gomez.

"He has great ability and a lot of potential."

But the Chelsea midfielder has warned Gomez and the rest of the German players that it will be the survival of the fittest at Euro 2008.

He said: "It will be the most intense event of all, the hardest Euros of all time, and you can only have success if you are fully fit."

Ballack believes his experience of playing in the English Premiership will help him have a successful campaign.

He hit top gear during the second half of last season, finally showing his true ability after 18 months plagued by ankle and thigh injuries plus poor form.

Ballack said: "I have improved and received a lot of praise in the last few weeks.

"I found some good form aftermy injuries and am happy to be playing in such a strong league that demands so much and puts you under pressure every weekend.

"Great football is played there and everybody takes that with them into the national team."

Asked what Germany's strengths will be in Austria and Switzerland, Ballack replied: "Our fight, our discipline, our desire - all that makes us a tournament team.

"And other teams have respect for that.

"We are settled into a system and everybody brings their own experience from abroad with them.

"But we need to relax to prepare and study things that the opponents should not know about."

Although they are three-time winners of the tournament amazingly they haven't won a GAME at the last two disastrous Euros in 2000 and 2004 when they failed to escape their groups.

But Germany don't have to look far for inside information on their opponents today with three of their squad BORN in Poland. Strikers Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski and midfielder Piotr Trochowski are the three naturalized Poles.

German officials have made no secret of the fact they are relying on them to get some inside information - and not only on the proper pronunciation of Polish names.

Assistant coach Hansi Flick said: "They are the so-called insiders and we may have an advantage because of that."

The last time Germany and Poland met was in the group stage at the World Cup. The Germans won 1-0 thanks to an injury-time goal from sub Oliver Neuville.

And German boss Joachim Loew said: "The Poles were already playing well at the World Cup. They stayed with us for 90 minutes and gave us a lot of trouble at home.

"They also qualified with ease, winning their group after taking four points from Portugal. But we have gained maturity."

Skipper Ballack added: "We have a very strong team and are burning with desire to go out and win the first game, which is very important for confidence.

"We have our style of play and are going to try to impose how we play and meet our full potential.

"If we play like we did against Portugal in qualifying we have a big chance of winning."