FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template

German keeper Andreas Kopke has the advantage of being virtually on home ground as the three-times world champions begin their campaign next Monday against the United States. Kopke has made his home for the past two seasons at Marseille, just along the Mediterranean coast from where the Germans have set up their luxury headquarters at Saint-Paul-de-Vence, near Nice. “I know the stadiums, environment and as I’m making progress with the language I’m starting to feel rather at home,” explains 36-year-old Kopke, who may be able to make brief visits home during a long tournament in which the Germans, as ever, expect to hang around right to the end.

Kopke is one of few in the squad to be virtually assured of his place having spent the 1990 and 1994 campaigns in the shadow of Bodo Illgner. “In 1990 it was nice just to be on board, but finding out right at the last moment in 1994 that I wasn’t first choice was really tough,” Kopke said Monday. “But the long wait has been worth it.” Although Bayern Munich keeper Oliver Kahn is moving up on the rails, coach Berti Vogts insists that at the moment Kopke is “number one not just in Germany but in Europe.” 

But if the goalkeeping pecking order is clear, Vogts may have a headache in the back four as Thomas Helmer, who has on occasion captained the side, had to break off training shortly after the squad arrived on Sunday with a thigh strain.

“It’a a great pity,” said Vogts, who is a great admirer of the Bayern man. “I think he will be able to take part in some light training later in the day,” Vogts insisted, adding he did not think he would have to call up a replacement.

Helmer has had a rough ride with injury of late having only recently recovered from a knee injury.

And he had to leave the pre-World Cup training camp in Finland before returning for just half of Friday’s thrashing of Luxembourg.

Another defender, AC Milan’s Christian Ziege, is also sweating-literally on his fitness for next week’s opener as he recovers from a fever.

That could force Vogt’s hand and make him play old-timers Lothar Matthaus and Olaf Thon together, which had not quite been the intention. But Vogts is too old a hand to panic and insists that the Germans “are going into this World Cup well-armed.” 

And the Fatherland’s rivals are only too aware that German teams always come out of tournaments having given a good account of themselves.