Timo Werner called-up to German football team

Berlin, March 18 (IANS) Germany's head coach Joachim Loew announced his 24-man squad, which included Timo Werner, for the upcoming international football matches against England and Azerbaijan.

Leipzig's Werner earned his first call-up for Germany on Friday, while veteran Lukas Podolski will make his last appearance for the "Nationalmannschaft" after 13 years, reports Xinhua news agency.

Werner, who had played for Germany's Under-21 team, has never played for the senior team. He has scored 14 goals in 23 appearances for the newly-promoted Leipzig who sit surprisingly on the second place of the Bundesliga standings.

"Werner is a young and interesting player with great prospects. He is a very variable player and has consistently played at a high level this season. I am looking forward to seeing him in our squad," Loew said.

Germany's 35th clash with England will also be the 130th outing for Podolski. It will be the last cap for the 31-year-old striker, who made his debut in Germany's dress in June 2004.

"It will be a great farewell game for Lukas, and he deserves it. Matches against England are absolute classics. I assume that it will be full of atmosphere."

Germany will first face England for a test match on March 22 before Loew's men travel to Azerbaijan four days later, hoping to extend their winning run in Group C of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.

"Our goal is to book the ticket for the World Cup as soon as possible. We are on a very good path so far, and we don't want to leave this path," Loew said.

After four victories from four games, the FIFA world champions lead the group with a clean sheet.

Germany's squad:

Goalkeepers: Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen), Manuel Neuer (Bayern M?nchen), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (FC Barcelona)

Defenders: Jonas Hector (Cologne), Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Shkodran Mustafi (FC Arsenal), Sebastian Rudy (Hoffenheim), Antonio Ruediger (AS Rom), Niklas Suele (Hoffenheim)

Midfielders: Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Emre Can (FC Liverpool), Sami Khedira (Juventus Turin), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Mesut Oezil (FC Arsenal), Lukas Podolski (Galatasaray Istanbul), Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund)

Strikers: Andre Schuerrle (Borussia Dortmund), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig), Mario Gomez (VfL Wolfsburg), Thomas M?ller (Bayern Munich), Julian Draxler (Paris St. Germain), Leroy Sane (Manchester City).