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Germany v Georgia: Hummels angry to have qualification in the balance

SoccerNews in General Soccer News 9 Oct 2015

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Germany centre-back Mats Hummels says his side are deeply frustrated by their loss to the Republic of Ireland as they prepare for a decisive clash with Georgia.

The world champions needed just a point from Thursday’s visit to Dublin to seal their place at Euro 2016 but Shane Long’s second-half strike earned Ireland a shock victory.

A draw between Ireland and Poland and a defeat for Germany in the final round of matches could yet see Joachim Low’s side slip out of the automatic qualifying spots, and Hummels confirmed he is angry his team are yet to secure a berth at the tournament in France next year.

“We were clearly not in a good mood. We’re all annoyed at the defeat, and that fact that we’ve not managed a perfect qualifying,” he told the DFB’s official website.

“I don’t think we played badly, but it’s frustrating we couldn’t score to capitalise on our superiority.

“Now we know it can get very tight in the last game and we have to be dominant against Georgia and not let anything happen.”

Georgia may be out of the running for the top three places in Group D but they recorded a morale-boosting 4-0 win over Gibraltar on Friday, and coach Kakhaber Tskhadadze wants them to take some renewed belief into the Germany clash.

“I am happy with everything. The newcomers played well after a nervous opening. The first half was played at a high level. However, after the break we struggled to retain the ball,” he said.

“It is very important to change the mentality of our team. We should aim to be able to compete against stronger rivals.”

Mario Gotze is expected to miss the game in Leipzig on Sunday after suffering a groin injury against Ireland, while Bastian Schweinsteiger (thigh) is unlikely to be fit.

Germany have won all four of their previous fixtures against Georgia, who have only managed a victory against Gibraltar in their last 23 competitive appearances away from home.

A point will be enough to guarantee Germany’s place in France next year but only a victory will ensure they finish as group winners, with both Poland and Ireland a point behind ahead of their decisive meeting in Warsaw.

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