Christoph Metzelder feels the situation of Schalke 04 as frightening. "The situation is now dangerous and painful," the new signing from Real Madrid in the face of the second from bottom place to the team of coach Felix Magath seven game days with only four points after occupies.
The Bundesliga star is struck, the injured playmaker. Although the Turkish national team before the European Championship qualifier against Germany on Friday (20:45 clock in the live ticker at eurosport.yahoo.de) not everything runs smoothly, is on the players of the Bosphorus, the euphoria before the "Game of the Year "But huge. "The chances are 50-50," said Dortmund's Nuri Sahin, "but we Turks are known for such games are extra motivated to be at."
Looking at the hospital were the two teams last shaken similar within. While DFB-Team Bastian Schweinsteiger will miss injured befallen the Turks bad news: playmaker and striker Arda Turan is definitely out because of groin problems, the professional Galatasaray threatened even several months of rest .
At training on Tuesday in Babelsberg broke an old injury again as Turkish media reported. "Arda the season can check off," wrote the online edition of "Hürriyet" on Wednesday. Even Hamit Altintop from German champions Bayern Munich, one of the pillars in the team and in two games already scored twice as celebrated, is struck and could last only limited training. While coach Guus Hiddink his charges on Tuesday was long hours plowing two, Altintop completed only run units.
Warm reception for Turkish Stars
Nevertheless, the 27-year-old players, like all his celebrated frenetically. About 150 noisy Turkish fans offered in the tranquil Babelsberg Potsdam on the outskirts of a taste of what the German team in Berlin expected. When the lab in the Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion was finished, the doors opened the folder and the supporters stormed the field. Players and coaches "fled" to the team bus and sped off. Soon as she arrived at Tegel airport - by the way of the Germans - have had to Kicker roaring their way through crowds railways.
The note is the team of national coach Joachim Loew favorite - but the Germans are also hosts in Berlin. officially that this de facto in the 74,244-seat Olympic Stadium will not be the case, which go from the Turkish players. "I am sure that the home game for us is a," announced Nuri Sahin, "which is a feast day." Altintop predicts that the trailer is balanced. "But the volume of her passionate our fans are likely to be something," he told theSüddeutsche Zeitung"(Wednesday). 30 000 Turks are expected in the stadium.
Revenge for Basel 2008
The midfielder, who burns to avenge the unfortunate lost Championship semi-final 2008, provides the trainer the key to success - in the longer term. "Mr Hiddink is an experienced strategist and professional, he knows that Turkish football players have high quality and that sometimes just discipline and clear lines have been missing."
The new strength of the kicker from the Bosporus to feel the Germans immediately. "We must sit down quietly, the goal is to win the group, and I am optimistic that we can make it," added the 59-times capped international Altintop. After two wins from two matches, the Turks ranked on points with the lion-Eleven at the top of the qualification group A.
