Germany building from the back

As Germany get ready to face the meanest defence in this year's UEFA European Under-19 Championship their own Alexander Eberlein and Benedikt Höwedes will be hoping to continue the form that has made them one of the best defensive pairings in Austria when they meet Greece in the semi-finals.

Famous footsteps
The pair were born within a month of each other in 1988, the year Germany last hosted the senior European finals. Then Jürgen Kohler and Guido Buchwald were the rocks at the heart of a defence that would two years later lift the FIFA World Cup in Italy. Eberlein and Höwedes have a long way to go to emulate those greats, but stand potentially just two games away from glory on Friday.

Close alliance
Eberlein, the elder of the two and the side's captain, says his alliance with Höwedes is tight, both on and off the pitch. "Benedikt and I have been playing in the Germany defence for quite a while now. We always warm up together and have our own special codes for particular plays." His team-mate, with whom he has played together in the U19 side since both made their debuts against Austria in September 2006, added: "Alex and I are also good friends off the pitch, so we get along really well. This is especially good as central defenders have to talk a lot and work closely together."

Sammer praise
Höwedes has been highlighted by former German international Matthias Sammer as one of the team's key players, comments he reveals make him feel "very proud", and he is not lacking in confidence in regard to the remainder of the tournament. "We are certain that we can reach the final and go back home as European champions. We have become a strong unit, which has been one of the major keys to our success."

Confidence high
"The atmosphere in the team is great," adds Eberlein on the back of Germany's 3-2 victory against Serbia that clinched first place in Group B. "We have to capitalise on this momentum." The captain broke into the TSV 1860 München first team last season, making eight Bundesliga appearances, and is confident of success, adding: "This positive mood can help us in the next game and we are all looking forward to playing against Greece. I am generally quite calm, but ahead of a semi-final all of us will be tense. That said, it's best to remain calm and focus on your job and try to do nothing out of the ordinary."