Germany boss Low planning to experiment at Confederations Cup

Joachim Low insists Germany will do their best to give a good account of themselves at the Confederations Cup, but concedes his priority is to experiment ahead of next year’s World Cup.

Low has opted to rest several of his star names for the upcoming tournament in Russia with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels among those staying at home.

Only three members of the side that lifted the 2014 World Cup are included, with Low naming seven uncapped players in his 23-man squad.

And Low says that there is no set goal for his side at the tournament, which he described as a “stop” on the road to Germany’s World Cup defence.

“There has been a lot of talk about the use of the Confederations Cup, but the fact remains it is on the calendar,” Low said at a news conference.

“We will prepare for it like we did for the World Cup and the Euros, but the World Cup remains the end goal. 

“The Confederations Cup is just a stop on our way to the World Cup, a good warm-up for 2018. We are going to the Confederations Cup with a team that has a lot of potential, but we do not have a clear goal. It is all about preparing for the World Cup.

“Of course, we also want to make a good impression. We just want to win the opening game against Australia and then we will see how things pan out.”

Germany start their campaign against Australia on June 19, with Chile and Cameroon also in Group B.

The final takes place on July 2.