Manuel Neuer admits hosts have 'great quality'
Tuesday 5 July 2016 22:14, UK
Thomas Muller says there is no fear of France in the Germany camp ahead of Thursday's Euro 2016 semi-final in Marseille.
The Germans will be without the injured Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sami Khedira and Mario Gomez while defender Mats Hummels is suspended.
The odds may appear to be stacking up against Germany after their dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Italy in the quarter-finals, while France eased to a 5-2 win over Iceland.
But Muller is convinced that Germany can give France a game, and that the absences of four experienced men will not be used as an excuse.
"Fear never comes into it," he said.
"We know France have many good players, but Iceland didn't honestly look that good at the back so if we defend well as a team, we will not let these players get into positions to show their class.
"We're respectful, but I'm optimistic we'll find a solution even if we've got some players missing out, which is bitter.
"This happens in football, there are always injuries and suspensions for big games but you've got to compensate as a team.
"I said before the tournament that I've never seen so much depth of quality in our team as we have now so I'm sure we can compensate."
The draw has been kind to the hosts, but Muller says France are well worth their place in the semis.
"France have not got here by luck," he said. "But they are now under a bit of pressure too as the hosts, and they know they're facing a strong Germany side.
"We were both being mentioned as favourites before the tournament and there aren't many bigger games than this one."
In the absence of Hummels, Low is going to have to reshuffle his defence, but the one player he can rely on at the back is Manuel Neuer.
The Bayern Munich keeper has paid tribute to France's attack while echoing Muller's mantra that Germany are not afraid.
"Olivier Giroud's a very dangerous player in the area and we've seen in the tournament how good he is in the air and how uncomfortable he can be for a defender," Neuer said.
"We know him from Arsenal and from the national team so we know a lot about him and can therefore prepare well to face him.
"I prefer not to focus on one player, though. Their whole front line is remarkable and they've got a great deal of quality.
"The French team are self-confident, especially up front, and things are going well for them, especially with the Iceland game which was their best so far.
"That doesn't mean we are scared of them, though. We've had a good tournament with our defence."
