Loew toughens up Germans´ Euro 2012 plans

Germany coach Joachim Loew said Tuesday he wants a tough warm-up programme for his team in the build-up to Euro 2012 with plans in the pipeline to face World Cup finalists Holland.

With Germany five-points clear at the top of Euro 2012 qualifier Group A, the Euro 2008 finalists look set to qualify as group winners for the European Championships to be held in the Ukraine and Poland in 18 months.

If Germany qualify directly, they are set to play Holland in November 2011 followed by a match against the Ukraine.

Then in February 2012, they are set to face France, but no dates or venues have been set yet for any of those games.

“We want to test ourselves against the strongest possible sides,” Loew told German daily Bild.

Germany’s next game is a friendly against Italy in Dortmund on February 9 and they play South American giants Brazil in Stuttgart in August 2011, as well as six more Euro 2012 qualifiers next year.

They will also play Uruguay in May 2011 in a re-match of their third-placed play-off at the World Cup in South Africa before concluding their Euro 2012 campaign against Belgium next October.