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Silvia Neid and Horst Hrubesch have announced their Germany women’s and men’s Olympic football squads for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil from August 3 to 20.
There were 16 outfield players and two goalkeepers selected for the women’s team, including six bronze medal winners from the 2008 Olympic Games in Peking in the form of Saskia Bartusiak, Simone Laudehr, Annike Krahn, Babett Peter, Anja Mittag and Melanie Behringer. Lisa Weiß, Kathrin Hendrich, Lina Magull and Svenja Huth were placed on standby, meaning that they will travel to Brazil with the team but only play if another player is forced to pull out due to injury. Meike Kämper, Lena Petermann, Pauline Bremer and Felicitas Rauch missed out after being a part of the 26 strong preliminary squad.
Head coach Neid explained: “The decision was obviously not an easy one for us. We got a good impression from the three preparatory training camps and the coaching staff debated the situation intensively after each training session. Versatility plays a big role with only being able to select 16 outfielders and two goalkeepers. Pauline, Meike, Lena and Felicitas unfortunately didn’t make the squad for different reasons but they are all players with a lot of potential that are a part of our future plans.”
The DFB women will play their final friendly ahead of the tournament against Ghana in Paderborn on July 22 (18:00 CET). The squad will meet in Frankfurt on July 27 ahead of their departure to São Paulo on July 29. They will begin the group stage against Zimbabwe on August 3 (23:00 CET) before facing Australia on August 6. Their final group match will see them take on Canada in Brasilia on August 9 (21:00 CET).
Meanwhile Germany’s 18-men Olympic squad, who will be competing at the Olympic Games for the first time since 1988, will be lead by Under-21 captain Leon Goretzka as well as the experienced heads of Lars Bender (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Sven Bender (Borussia Dortmund) and Nils Petersen (SC Freiburg). Max Meyer (FC Schalke 04), Julian Brandt (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Davie Selke, Lukas Klostermann (both RB Leipzig), as well as Niklas Süle und Jeremy Toljan (both TSG 1899 Hoffenheim) are some of the current U-21 internationals selected in Horst Hrubesch’s men’s Olympic squad.
World Champion Matthias Ginter (Borussia Dortmund) and goalkeeper Timo Horn (1. FC Köln) belonged to the U-21 squad that qualified for the Olympics through the European U-21 Championship last year. Leonardo Bittencourt (1. FC Köln), Eric Oelschlägel (SV Werder Bremen), Christian Günter and Sebastian Kerk (both SC Freiburg) have been placed on standby in case of injury.
Coach Horst Hrubesch explained: “The anticipation ahead of the Olympic Games is massive. Rio has been a goal that we have been working towards for a long time now. It will be a unique experience for us and one that the players will be able to tell their grandchildren. We have a good mix of current U21 players and older players in the team. Despite the difficult decision of who to nominate, the squad is of a very high quality. I am happy for every individual and I am sure that plenty is possible with these lads.”
The men’s Olympic team will meet up on July 28 in Frankfurt for a three day training camp before departing for Brazil on July 30. The DFB team will play their first group match against Mexico in Salvador on August 4 (22:00 CET). Their second match in group C will see them take on South Korea on August 7 (21:00 CET), while they will play their final match of the group stage in Belo Horizonte on August 10 (21:00 CET) against Fiji.
GERMANY Men’s Squad
Goalkeepers
Timo Horn (1.FC Köln), Jannik Huth (FSV Mainz 05)
Defenders
Robert Bauer (FC Ingolstadt), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Dortmund), Lukas Klostermann (RB Leipzig), Philipp Max (FC Augsburg), Niklas Süle (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), Jeremy Toljan (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim)
Midfielders
Lars Bender (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Sven Bender (Borussia Dortmund), Julian Brandt (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Max Christiansen (FC Ingolstadt), Serge Gnabry (FC Arsenal), Leon Goretzka (FC Schalke 04), Max Meyer (FC Schalke 04)
Forwards
Nils Petersen (SC Freiburg), Grischa Prömel (Karlsruher SC), Davie Selke (RB Leipzig)
On Stand-by
Leonardo Bittencourt (1. FC Köln), Christian Günter (SC Freiburg), Sebastian Kerk (SC Freiburg), Eric Oelschlägel (Werder Bremen)
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GERMANY Women’s Squad
Goalkeepers
Laura Benkarth (SC Freiburg), Almuth Schult (VfL Wolfsburg)
Defenders
Saskia Bartusiak (1. FFC Frankfurt), Josephine Henning (FC Arsenal), Tabea Kemme (1.FFC Turbine Potsdam), Annike Krahn (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Leonie Maier (FC Bayern München), Babett Peter (VfL Wolfsburg)
Midfielders
Melanie Behringer (FC Bayern München), Sara Däbritz (FC Bayern München), Lena Goeßling (VfL Wolfsburg), Isabel Kerschowski (VfL Wolfsburg), Simone Laudehr (1. FFC Frankfurt), Melanie Leupolz (FC Bayern München)
Forwards
Mandy Islacker (1. FFC Frankfurt), Dzenifer Marozsan (1. FFC Frankfurt), Anja Mittag (Paris Saint-Germain), Alexandra Popp (VfL Wolfsburg)
On Stand-by
Kathrin Hendrich (1. FFC Frankfurt), Svenja Huth (1. FFC Turbine Potsdam), Lina Magull (SC Freiburg), Lisa Weiß (SGS Essen)
