Rudi Voller has stayed loyal to the players who helped Germany reach the World Cup final when he announced his squad for next week’s friendly international with Bulgaria.
Only one newcomer, Arne Friedrich, has been included in the squad. Hertha Berlin defender Friedrich, 23, made his Bundesliga debut last week in a 2-2 draw with defending German champions Borussia Dortmund.
Voller has included 15 members of Germany’s World Cup squad in the 20-strong selection. Defender Ingo Hertzsch and midfielders Daniel Bierofka and Paul Freier missed the trip to South Korea and Japan but all had been involved prior to the finals.
Bayern Munich striker Alexander Zickler also returns after recovering injury.
Still absent are several key players, all of whom missed the World Cup through injury. Sebastian Deisler and defenders Jens Nowotny and Christian Woerns, are among those recuperating from long-term injuries.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich), Jens Lehmann (Borussia Dortmund)
Christoph Metzelder (both Borussia Dortmund), Carsten Ramelow (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfielders: Michael Ballack, Jens Jeremies (both Bayern Munich), Daniel Bierofka, Bernd Schneider (both Bayer Leverkusen), Joerg Boehme (Schalke 04), Paul Freier (VfL Bochum), Torsten Frings (Borussia Dortmund), Dietmar Hamann (Liverpool)
Strikers: Gerald Asamoah (Schalke 04), Carsten Jancker (Udinese), Miroslav Klose (Kaiserslautern), Oliver Neuville (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexander Zickler
