German coach keen not to understimate Finnish opposition
Joachim Löw blissfully unaware of his country's perfect World Cup record
The press conference for the German national football side, here in Helsinki to play Finland tonight in a World Cup qualifier, contained the usual expressions of confidence mixed with respect for the opposition, but there was one moment of surprise and mirth.
The German head coach Joachim Löw was asked by a Finnish journalist to explain how it was possible that Germany had never once lost an away fixture in World Cup qualifying matches.
Löw lost the plot completely. "What's that? We've NEVER lost a game away from home...? he mumbled incredulously, amidst howls of laughter from the roughly one hundred reporters present.
After recovering his composure, Löw laughed and acknowledged that he was less than well-informed about the times before he took the helm, first as assistant coach in 2004 and then in the top job from 2006.
Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup and so did not have to play any qualifiers, and now they have played just the one match away [to Liechtenstein] and won that by a six-goal margin.
Returning to the subject of Wednesday's encounter with Finland, Löw was full of praise for the opposition, and emphasised that Germany would not be taking anything for granted.
He cited the 24 points the Finns collected in the qualifiers for Euro 2008 and how close they came to making the finals. "Underestimating tonight's opposition would be a fatal error", he said.
Löw noted the fact that the Finns were well organised, and added that the spread of players to league sides abroad had developed the team.
Success at the club level has in turn given the Finnish players more confidence, and when this is coupled with the typical Scandinavian dogged perseverance, it makes for a tricky adversary.
Finland's recent record against German opposition is not bad.
The last time the teams met in a World Cup qualifying group, in 2001, honours were even as the Finns drew 2-2 at home and then ground out an unlikely 0-0 draw away in Gelsenkirchen.
The German squad for tonight's game will be short of a few names from Euro 2008, where Germany progressed all the way to the final before losing to Spain.
Missing from the line-up through injury will be the regular central defensive pairing of Per Mertesacker and Christoph Metzelder, and the midfield wll have to manage without Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings.
The German press has made a great deal of Ballack's absence, but Löw said he paid this no mind, having stopped thinking about it once it became apparent the Chelsea star was not available.
He prefers to concentrate on the opposition and on the players he has at his disposal.
The German media has been less than enthusiastic about the form of striker Miroslav Klose, but Löw gave him his full support, and the Finns will be most unwise to ignore the goal-scoring partnership of Klose and Lukas Podolski, who already scored two in Germany's opening match last weekend.
In goal for the Germans will be a new face, Robert Enke of Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga.
He is making only his fourth appearance in a role that was for long held by Oliver Kahn (86 international caps) and Jens Lehmann (61 caps).
Interestingly, the man who will be hoping to ruin Enke's evening is a club team-mate. Finnish striker Mikael Forssell - the scorer of those two goals back in 2001 - joined Hannover 96 from Birmingham City in the summer.
Tonight's game in the sold-out Olympic Stadium will kick off at 20:35. The match is being shown live on Canal+ and on The Voice/TV Viisi.
More on this subject:
 Finland 3 Germany 3 (2-2): A bitter-sweet draw against the Euro 2008 finalists
Previously in HS International Edition:
Finland meet Germany on Wednesday in first "official" international under Stuart Baxter (9.9.2008)
Links:
Finland National Football Team (Wikipedia)
Germany National Football Team (Wikipedia)
Helsingin Sanomat
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