Schweinsteiger, Adler set to return for Germany

BERLIN:Bastian Schweinsteiger and Rene Adler are expected to return to the Germany squad when coach Joachim Loew names his side on Friday for the World Cup qualifiers against Ireland and Sweden.
Loew will announce his squad for the games in Dublin on Friday October 12, then against Sweden at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium four days later.
Vice-captain Schweinsteiger of Bayern Munich is expected to be included for the first time since Euro 2012 after recovering from injury, while former first-choice goalkeeper Rene Adler should return after impressing for Hamburg.
Schweinsteiger, 28, missed the friendly defeat to Argentina in August, then the qualifier wins over Faroe Islands and Austria, with an ankle injury.
“I am looking forward to his return,” Loew told German magazine Kicker.
“In the form he is currently showing, he would be an addition to any team.
Against Ireland and Sweden, arguably the toughest two teams in Germany’s qualification group, Loew will be without Bayern striker Mario Gomez, who is recovering from ankle surgery.
Loew has said he was pleased to see forward Lukas Podolski settling in well at Arsenal and it was helpful for Germany that Gunners’ manager Arsene Wenger has used the ex-Cologne star as a striker.
“It’s certainly good for us that Lukas has again developed a feel for the center forward position,” said Loew.
The Germany squad will meet in Frankfurt on Monday evening and fly to Dublin next Thursday morning.