Germany coach to observe Ballack

By foxsports
Published

Germany coach Joachim Loew and his assistant Hans-Dieter Flick are to fly to London on Sunday to see the national team's captain Michael Ballack in action for Chelsea.

The pair will catch the Blues' Premier League match with Stoke at Stamford Bridge before meeting with the 33-year-old for talks afterwards.

"We have had this visit planned for a while now," said Loew on the website of the German Football Association (DFB).

"After the game, we want to have a very relaxed chat with Michael."

Loew will therefore miss the two Bundesliga fixtures between Hoffenheim and Hamburg and Freiburg and Wolfsburg, but he is expected to be at one Bundesliga fixture on Saturday with Flick keeping his eye on potential World Cup squad candidates at another match.

Goalkeeper coach Andreas Koepke will also be present at a league fixture this weekend as the Germany coaching team narrow down their options ahead of the preliminary squad announcement on May 6.