Joachim Low is rocked by injuries but says Germany are at their best when the heat is on
World Cup winners' boss says they have the experience to cope with any problems as they open Euro 2016 bid against Ukraine
JOACHIM LOW has told Germany’s Euro rivals: Nobody loves playing under pressure more than us.
The World Cup winners begin their quest for European domination against Ukraine in Lille tonight.
Low’s preparations have been rocked by injuries to Marco Reus, Ilkay Gundogan and Antonio Ruediger.
But he can still call upon plenty of proven winners including Manchester United’s Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arsenal maestro Mesut Ozil.
Low said: “It's not pressure, it is happiness. Germany always suffers from pressure, but we can cope with this pressure. That is not an issue for us at all.
"We have players with a lot of experience in great games, beating the host nation Brazil 7-1 in the World Cup semi-finals so we are used to that."
Key defender Mats Hummels is unlikely to be fit to partner new Bayern Munich teammate Jerome Boateng in central defence but might be fit to face Poland on Thursday.
But Low was in no mood to use injuries as an excuse.
He said: "There are no sorrows about injuries.
"Hummels has got himself back to 100 percent training individually and now he has joined the squad training.
"Maybe tomorrow will be too early, but we can count on him for next week. All the other players are fit, everybody could train today."
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Assistant coach Andriy Shevchenko reckons Ukraine can give the Germans a bloody nose today.
The former Chelsea striker said: “Germany are clear favourites but that is because people under-estimate this team.
“Maybe we are a bit weaker individually, so we have to be better collectively. We are going to give Germany a good game and they should be afraid of us for sure.”