Beckenbauer pessimistic about Germany chances

German football great Franz Beckenbauer said he was not optimistic about his country’s chances of success at the World Cup, in an interview to be published in the German press on Sunday.

“Without Michael Ballack, it will be difficult. Our team is weakened,” he told the Berlin newspaper Der Tagesspiegel.

“We’ll have to work hard just to reach the semi-finals.”

Germany’s preparations have been hit by the injured-enforced withdrawals of captain Ballack, goalkeeper Rene Adler, defender Heiko Westermann and midfielders Simon Rolfes and Christian Traesch.

Coach Joachim Loew’s re-organised side hit back from a goal down to beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 in a warm-up match in Frankfurt on Thursday.

“We’re never been artists on the pitch like the Brazilians,” added Beckenbauer, who led his country to World Cup glory as first captain and then coach in 1974 and 1990.

Germany, runners-up to Spain at the 2008 European Championship, play their opening World Cup match against Group D rivals Australia on June 13.

Their squad for the tournament will be the youngest German squad to embark upon a World Cup campaign since 1934.