Dortmund trio pull out of Germany squad

Berlin: Borussia Dortmund players Marcel Schmelzer, Mario Gotze and Marco Reus have pulled out of Germany`s friendly with France on Wednesday.

Defender Schmelzer has a sprained ankle and a throat infection, midfield playmaker Gotze has a viral infection and winger Reus has a groin strain. All three played in Dortmund`s 3-2 win at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Sunday. Meanwhile, Germany`s business manager Oliver Bierhoff, who scored 37 goals in 70 games for Germany, insists friendly games are still important with World Cup qualifiers around the corner. He told reporters: "Friendlies are important to us this year, what with the WC qualifiers coming up. We are happy to prepare with strong opponents like France." Referring to German’s poor record against France, Bierhoff stated: "Records are there to be broken. If we win, it would be very good for the morale of the team." One player who will turn out on Wednesday is Bayern Munch striker Mario Gomez. Gomez, who will win his 58th cap if selected, cannot wait to do battle against their European rivals. He said: "It`s good to be free of pain, I`m looking forward to the game." Goal.com