Soccer

Germany call up Karim Bellarabi after superb start to season

Bayer Leverkusen winger in line to face Ireland in qualifier

Germany have handed a first call-up to Bayer Leverkusen winger Karim Bellarabi (right) for the friendly against Poland and the Euro 2016 qualifier at home to the Republic of Ireland. Photograph: Sebastien Nogier/EPA
Germany have handed a first call-up to Bayer Leverkusen winger Karim Bellarabi (right) for the friendly against Poland and the Euro 2016 qualifier at home to the Republic of Ireland. Photograph: Sebastien Nogier/EPA
Fri Oct 03 2014 - 14:08

Bayer Leverkusen winger Karim Bellarabi capped a superb start to the Bundesliga season with a Germany call-up on Thursday for this month's European Championship qualifiers against Poland and the Republic of Ireland.

The World Cup winners travel to Warsaw on October 11th before hosting Martin O’Neill’s side in Gelsenkirchen three days later in a Euro 2016 qualifier.

The 24-year-old Bellarabi, who scored the fastest Bundesliga goal ever on the first day of the season and has played for Germany’s youth teams, had also been courted by the Moroccan football federation to play for them.

“Karim Bellarabi has earned this chance following outstanding performances for his club,” Germany coach Joachim Löw said in a statement.

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“He is very strong in one-on-one situations and is an outstanding alternative for our attack.”

With striker Mario Gomez out injured along with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sami Khedira and Marco Reus among others, Löw recalled Borussia Mönchengladbach's Max Kruse.

Germany won their opening Group D qualifier, 2-1 against Scotland.

GERMANY (Squad for Euro 2016 qualifiers v Poland and Republic of Ireland): Goalkeepers: 1 Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), 12 Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover), 22 Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund). Defenders: 2 Shkodran Mustafi (Valencia), 3 Matthias Ginter (Borussia Dortmund), 5 Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), 6 Antonio Rüdiger (VfB Stuttgart), 7 Sebastian Rudy (Hoffenheim), 15 Erik Durm (Borussia Dortmund), 17 Jérôme Boateng (Bayern Munich). Midfielders: 8 Mesut Özil (Arsenal), 9 André Schürrle (Chelsea), 10 Lukas Podolski (Arsenal), 11 Karim Bellarabi (Bayer Leverkusen), 13 Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich), 14 Julian Draxler (Schalke), 18 Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), 20 Christoph Kramer (Borussia Mönchengladbach). Strikers: 19 Mario Götze (Bayern Munich), 23 Max Kruse (Borussia Mönchengladbach).