Can underdog Romania unnerve Teutonic self-assurance?

LIEGE (BELGIUM), JUNE 11. A strangely ha

rmonious German squad kicks off its Euro 2000 campaign against Romania here on Monday in both countries' first Group `A' game which serves as a litmus test for both.

In-fighting, back-biting and general conflict are usually the norms for Germans in major tournaments with feuds running daily in press reports.

Coach Erich Ribbeck may have had a run-in with Jens Jeremies, on whom he slapped a one-match suspension for criticising him, before the event, but no real controversy has so far been evident at its base in Vaals, Netherlands near the German border.

So far, it's been relatively tame though cynics might say it's just a question of time before a Pandora's box is opened by someone airing his views in public.

As they always say though, you can never write off the Germans.

Injured players Lothar Matthaeus and Jens Jeremies will almost certainly play, coach Erich Ribbeck said, which is a major boost to the team.

Matthaeus picked up a right thigh injury in the 8-2 win over Liechtenstein on Wednesday and Jeremies hurt his left knee in Friday evening training.

The 39-year-old Matthaeus and tough midfielder Jeremies are key players in the defence of Germany's European title which it won four years ago in England with a 2-1 final victory over Czech Republic.

``Lothar took part in training,'' Ribbeck told a press conference on Saturday. ``That shows he is back to full fitness and, but for something out of the ordinary, he will be playing.''

Since arriving at Vaals, Matthaeus, who skippered Germany's World Cup winning side in 1990, had merely undergone light training. On Saturday he had a full session however.

``Since Wednesday, my treatment has been effective,'' said Matthaeus, ``today I was able to deal with all the problems. I think that with extra training till Monday, everything will be fine.''

Ribbeck did not name his starting 11 but gave a strong indication with an 11-a-side game which had Oliver Bierhoff playing with Ulf Kirsten as their strike Duo.

AC Milan's Bierhoff, a national hero when his golden goal won Euro 96 for Germany, said he fully expected to play. ``I think and I hope I will play given the team which played during training. In any case I showed against the Czech Republic I was in good form.''

Apart from Bierhoff and Kirsten, Ribbeck fielded Oliver Kahn, Lothar Matthaeus, Thomas Linke, Jens Nowotny, Markus Babbel, Jens Jeremies, Christian Ziege, Thomas Hassler and Mehmet Scholl.

After a two-year absence from the squad, Hassler looks set to start a competitive match which will be a disappointment for Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann who might have played in his place.

Romania may be the underdog but skipper Gheorghe Hagi and his teammates claimed they could pull off a historic win.

Romania has never won a match at a European championships and Hagi, who lifted the UEFA Cup with Galatasaray in Copenhagen last month, was asked if that barren streak was about to end. ``I hope so,'' he told reporters at their training ground. ``I hope so. One day you have to begin.''

Hagi, who revealed plans to retire after this tournament, said: ``every game is going to be difficult. With Germany, both teams will be wanting to make a good start and I think it's going to be a good game.''

Whether Teutonic self-assurance reasserts itself as it has in the past or whether Romania goes on to claim a famous win, the world of football will surely be taking in every detail.

- AFP

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