Testing start for new Germany coach Loew

BERLIN, Aug 15 (Reuters) Joachim Loew will have to cope without captain Michael Ballack and his two first-choice centre backs when Germany begin life after Juergen Klinsmann in a friendly against Sweden in Gelsenkirchen tomorrow.

Loew, a respected tactician, played a big part in putting Klinsmann's attacking philosophy into practice at the World Cup and the 46-year-old deserves a lot of the credit for the team's third-place finish.

The German Football Association certainly thought so and appointed him to the top job after Klinsmann's decision to walk away rather than lead the side through to Euro 2008.

Loew's task is to maintain the attacking momentum that took Germany so far on home soil earlier this year but it will be no great surprise if the performance on Wednesday fails to provide the sort of intensity that marked the World Cup campaign.

The Bundesliga season is just a few days old but Loew has already been hit by a series of injuries, notably the hip problem suffered by midfielder Ballack in his new club Chelsea's defeat by Liverpool on Sunday.

''We all hope Michael Ballack is back fit again as soon as possible...(but) we have to take the situation as it comes,'' Loew said yesterday.

Loew will ask Tim Borowski to fill in for Ballack and attempt to display the range of incisive passing he is renowned for at Werder Bremen.

Germany beat Sweden in the second round at the World Cup thanks to outstanding performances from Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski up front.

Podolski was left out of the starting line-up for Bayern Munich's first league game but Loew will keep faith with the player.

Sweden's first-choice goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson, who is moving to Manchester City, has been replaced in the squad by Viborg's John Alvbage.

The injured forward Markus Allback is also missing.

Probable teams: Germany: Jens Lehmann; Arne Friedrich, Manuel Friedrich, Jens Nowotny, Philipp Lahm; Bernd Schneider, Torsten Frings, Tim Borowski, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski Sweden: Rami Shaaban; Fredrik Stenman, Petter Hansson, Karl Svensson, Niclas Alexandersson; Kim Kallstrom, Tobias Linderoth, Christian Wilhelmsson, Anders Svensson; Markus Rosenberg, Johan Elmander Referee: Emil Laursen (Denmark) Reuters PM GC0855