Hopes in the balance

Germany's hopes remain in the balance following the injury to Lars Bender in Italy - but Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm and Per Mertesacker will join up with the squad on Friday.

Lahm and Neuer have been nursing blows from the German Cup final last weekend, while Arsenal defender Mertesacker spent an extra day with his recently-born child. But while tomorrow is a cause for some relief, Löw was left cursing his luck today after Bender was ruled out.

The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder's thigh injury leaves Germany's midfield options looking even thinner, especially considering Ilkay Gündogan's long-term absence and Bastian Schweinsteiger's recent fitness concerns. Sami Khedira still has one more club game to play for Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final, but his physical condition appears to be uncertain.

Bender limped off during Germany's behind-closed-doors session on Thursday afternoon which kept the media and watching world on the outside. "He was, of course, very disappointed. The World Cup was a big goal for him," says German FA spokesperson Jens Grittner.

"It's disappointing for everyone when a player has to pull out due to injury so close to the tournament," said coach Joachim Löw

"I'm really sorry for Lars. I know that he really wanted to be there in Brazil. In terms of character and sporting ability, he's an absolute role model," he added.

A hole in defensive-midfield

Khedira has come through several weeks of full training unscathed and he could be fit enough to feature in Saturday's Champions League final. It would be a huge milestone for the midfielder who sustained his cruciate ligament damage in a friendly away to Italy in November 2013.

Germany's injury problems have now tipped the scales, leaving Löw with a surplus of attacking midfielders. With Gündogan missing the tournament, it is even more important that Schweinsteiger returns to full fitness.

Elsewhere, Löw still has Borussia Mönchengladbach's Christoph Kramer and SC Freiburg's Matthias Ginter available for the World Cup warm-up matches against Cameroon and Armenia. Ginter, although naturally a defender, has prominently featured for his club in the defensive-midfield pivot.

The pair were involved in the 0-0 draw against Poland in Hamburg, where Kramer added to his already handsome reputation as a strong-running, box-to-box midfielder. Both are considered likely candidates to drop out when Löw streamlines his group ahead of next week's squad deadline.

Onus on Klose

Germany's strike force were left weakened by the fitness doubts over Mario Gomez, who was left out of the original preliminary squad. That leaves Miroslav Klose to accept the burden of responsibility, as he looks to become the all-time leading golascorer at World Cup finals. Kevin Volland has been excellent this season, but remains unlikely to be a key player.

In a press conference on Friday afternoon, Klose spoke about his desire to overtake Ronaldo's World Cup record. "Those who know me know that the record is a personal aim of mine. If I score one, I'll be level. I need two to go out in front."

But the striker wasn't just concerned with his individual record. "The most important thing is the team. They will always come first. If the team plays well, I will have chances to score."

Germany's preparations continue

Germany are currently in South Tyrol for a training camp ahead of a friendly against Cameroon on June 1. The final 23-man squad will be picked on June 2 ahead of the tournament in Brazil where the three-time World Cup winners have been drawn in Group G along with Portugal, United States and Ghana.

Löw must submit his final 23-man squad on June 2, but the injury to Bender leaves the German boss with 26 to choose from on day three of the training camp.

rd/jh (RTIE)