Teams | May 15, 2018 at 07:51 PM

Plattenhardt in Germany’s preliminary World Cup squad

Joachim Löw named Hertha’s left-back in his side’s preliminary squad for next month’s tournament in Russia. The Germany national team’s head coach will finalise his squad on 4th June.

Berlin - Marvin Plattenhardt’s dreams of going to the World Cup are alive and well. On Tuesday, Joachim Löw named Hertha’s left-back in Germany’s provisional squad for the tournament in Russia next month. “This call-up is only the first step, but I’m still very happy about it. I will give everything in training and in the friendlies and then we will see whether I will be taken to Russia or not,” said the 26-year-old after the announcement.

Head coach Joachim Löw named the 27-man squad at the German football museum in Dortmund. Löw will have to do without four of those 27 players in order to comply with the FIFA rules of 20 outfield players and three goalkeepers as a maximum. If Plattenhardt were then to be named as a World Cup participant, it will be Hertha’s first German representative at the biggest football tournament on the planet since Arne Freidrich in 2006.

The reigning World Cup champions will begin their preparations for the tournament over the coming days. The team will travel to Eppan in Italy to take part in a training camp from 23rd May to 9th June. During that time, a reunion with a Valentino Lazaro is on the cards as Germany are set to face Austria on 2nd June. By the time in which Germany play Saudi Arabia on June 8th, it will have been decided whether Plattenhardt will be a part of the squad that travels to Russia. Four days later, the Germany squad will make the trip to Russia.

Mathew Leckie has also been called up to his country’s preliminary World Cup squad. The winger is a part of Australia’s 26-man squad and will take part in a training camp in Turkey with the rest of Bert van Marwijk’s team from 20th May. After the Socceroos play in a friendly against Vladimir Darida’s Czech Republic on 1st June, head coach van Marwijk will then reduce his squad to 23 players on 3rd June.

It’s still possible that Genki Haraguchi could be in Japan’s World Cup squad, although it is not yet official. A representative for the Japan national team reported that the provisional squad will not be made public. Japan will have to make their final squad known by 4th June at the latest.

by Hertha BSC