Germany vs Czech Republic - Low expects Germany to beat Czech Republic

Posted Friday, October 07, 2016 by PA

Coach Joachim Low expects Germany to beat the Czech Republic in Saturday's World Cup qualifier.

Fresh from beating Norway 3-0 in their opening Group C encounter, the World Cup holders host the Czech Republic in Hamburg and Low spoke confidently about their chances.

"I expect us to get all three points tomorrow," he said at a press conference.

"The team have definitely made a good, fresh impression in the two training sessions and they look very focused about both of these games.

"We know that the Czech Republic will probably be our toughest rivals in this group and they have a very experienced team with very good individuals.

"But I think that we are well prepared for the game and the clear aim for us is six points from these two games."

That view is shared by Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira, who says Germany need to build on their win in Oslo to put themselves into a commanding position in the group before they face Northern Ireland on Tuesday.

"After our good, convincing start against Norway, we now want to extend our winning start," Khedira said.

"In our last qualifying campaign, we went into it a bit too relaxed and lost some unnecessary points so we want to avoid that this time, of course.

"That's why we're highly motivated not only to get a win, but to put in a convincing performance, especially here in Hamburg."

Khedira will start on Saturday with Toni Kroos - his former Real Madrid team-mate - alongside him in the Germany midfield, meaning Ilkay Gundogan will take his place on the bench, although Low says he can imagine Gundogan starting against Northern Ireland. Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich should also start, probably at right full-back.

Czech coach Karel Jarolim, whose son David used to play in Hamburg, has admitted that his side need "a minor miracle" to come away with the points.

"We're up against a team you can only beat in exceptional circumstances," he told Kicker magazine. "We're hoping to pull off a minor miracle."

The Czech's started their campaign with a 0-0 draw at home to Northern Ireland and are therefore already playing catch-up in the group before they host Azerbaijan on Tuesday.