Germany flirt with ‘sexy football’ to secure spot

DUSSELDORF: Joshua Kimmich says Germany hope to seduce home fans with “sexy football” to brush Belarus aside on Saturday, in an attempt to boost both flagging attendance figures and their bid to qualify for the Euro 2020 finals. Fan interest has never been so low since Joachim Loew took charge of Germany in 2006, with average attendances for home internationals dropping to a paltry 37,162 and only two thirds of the tickets for both remaining home qualifiers sold so far.

An emphatic win over Belarus in Monchengladbach could help win back any fans still disgruntled by their woeful 2018 World Cup campaign when Germany came last in their group.

“First and foremost, we are responsible for getting people into the stadium whether we play sexy football or not,” said midfielder Kimmich in Dusseldorf.

“We have to make sure that everyone who stays at home regrets it a bit.”

With two qualifiers left, European powerhouses the Netherlands, who face Northern Ireland in Belfast on Saturday, and Germany are level at the top of Group C on 15 points with the top two teams progressing.

So far, the Dutch and Germans have only lost to each other, with Germany’s 3-2 win in Amsterdam last March avenged when the ‘Oranje’ enjoyed a 4-2 victory in Hamburg in September.

The Germans will claim their Euro finals berth on Saturday with a win provided the Dutch don’t lose in Belfast, and Loew’s squad will be eager to avoid having to win their final qualifier against Northern Ireland in Frankfurt on Tuesday.

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who scored twice against Estonia, is vying with Bayern Munich’s Kimmich and Real Madrid star Toni Kroos for a central midfield slot.