Meier form prompts Germany call

Alexander Meier's fine form for Eintracht Frankfurt has won him a place in a 20-player Germany squad for Tuesday's friendly against the Armenia senior team in Ahlen.

'Potential'
The 23-year-old forward has established himself as one of the rising stars of the Bundesliga, scoring six goals and laying on seven for his team-mates in 24 outings, and could now earn a late ticket into Germany's squad for this summer's UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Coach Dieter Eilts said: "We have had Alexander under observation for quite some time. He couldn't play for us for a while due to injury but I'm convinced he will now show his potential."

Finals in Portugal
Werder Bremen's Christian Schulz and Lukas Sinkiewicz of 1. FC Köln are the only players included with senior caps. Meanwhile, Germany have confirmed that they will travel to the Netherlands for a friendly against their fellow finalists on 17 May. The tournament in Portugal gets under way the following week.

Germany squad
Goalkeepers: Rene Adler (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Michael Rensing (FC Bayern München).

Defenders: Markus Brzenska (BV Borussia Dortmund), Malik Fathi (Hertha BSC Berlin), Marvin Matip (1. FC Köln), Patrick Ochs (Eintracht Frankfurt), Christian Schulz (Werder Bremen), Lukas Sinkiewicz (1. FC Köln), Moritz Volz (Fulham FC).

Midfielders: Gonzalo Castro (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Matthias Lehmann (TSV 1860 München), Alexander Meier (Eintracht Frankfurt), Peter Niemeyer (FC Twente), Eugen Polanski (VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach), Sascha Riether (SC Freiburg), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV).

Forwards: Patrick Helmes (1. FC Köln), Stefan Kiessling (1. FC Nürnberg), David Odonkor (BV Borussia Dortmund), Nando Rafael (VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach).