Grings and new brigade given Germany chance

The return of striker Inka Grings has captured the headlines before Germany's first fixture of 2009 but it is the emergence of a new generation which could be the notable feature of Wednesday's friendly against China in Bielefeld.

Grings recall
Grings, 30, played a key part in Germany's UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2005™ success but has not played for her country since winning her 64th cap that October. She has continued to register freely for FCR 2001 Duisburg, though, last season finishing Frauen-Bundesliga top scorer for the fourth time in a decade, and she moved to the head of the 2008/09 standings on Saturday with all five goals in her club's 5-2 defeat of Hamburger SV. She had already been recalled by Germany coach Silvia Neid, and Grings will be keen to add to her tally of 41 international goals against China, and prove herself worthy of a place for the defence of the European title in Finland this summer.

Youngsters picked
Her chance comes in the injury absence of captain Birgit Prinz and fellow 1. FFC Frankfurt striker Conny Pohlers, while midfielder Simone Laudehr and defenders Annike Krahn, Ariane Hingst and Kerstin Stegemann similarly miss out on the China game and next month's Algarve Cup. Instead, Neid has turned to four members of the side that took FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup bronze in Chile last year, forwards Bianca Schmidt and Nicole Banecki, midfielder Kim Kulig and defender Nicole Banecki.

Tests
"We want to test young players against China in Bielefeld and during the Algarve Cup," Neid said. "It's important to see how they cope with the high level and the pace in the game. Those young players now have the chance to make a case for themselves and to accept the challenge. Of course, we are already looking towards the [FIFA Women's] World Cup 2011 in Germany. Only the best players will travel to EURO. No matter how young or old."