Germany have gone from hunter to prey, says Low

Head coach Joachim Loew talks to the players during a training session in Essen, Germany. Picture: Getty

Löw’s men head into Euro 2016 battle with the Republic of Ireland in Gelsenkirchen tonight having surrendered a 33-game unbeaten run in qualifiers with a 2-0 defeat in Poland on Saturday, a result which followed a friendly loss to Argentina and a narrow Group D victory over Scotland.

But while the manager insists the weight of success is not a burden for his team, he admits the label does serve to inspire whoever they come up against.

Low said: “The difficulties we are experiencing at the moment are of a type that we have experienced many times before. But generally speaking, I don’t think the position now is anymore difficult than it’s always been.

“We used to be the hunter; now we are the prey. We know that teams like Scotland will play with incredible motivation against us – but that was true even after [the World Cup in] 2010 and [Euro] 2012.

“We know the situation, we know how to get by it, but it’s no different now than it used to be.”

Germany remain overwhelming favourites to top the group and will expect to right the wrongs of Warsaw in comprehensive style against an Ireland team which has collected maximum points from a trip to Georgia and a 7-0 demolition of Gibraltar.

Low said: “If you ask me what is the mood like now, fury is the wrong word, anger is the wrong word. But what you can feel is some kind of determination, that we really badly want these three points against Ireland.

“But there is no incredible disappointment in the team. That would be wrong to say.

“We have seen both the Irish games and have analysed them, and we can expect some sort of copy of Poland. There’s nothing new to us. The Irish are good fighters, they have commitment and fantastic fighting spirit, and they know how to defend.

“They are a very well organised team, but at the same time, they have excellent players, like Robbie Keane, who is very experienced and has an eye for goal, Aiden McGeady, James McClean and other players who come from the wings and are very good at dribbling around their opponents.

“Like Poland, they are very fast on the counter, coming from the wings and putting dangerous crosses in.

“They come to Germany with self-confidence and with three teams being able to qualify from this group, they are in with a more than reasonable chance of actually making it to France.”

Low insisted he would not make too many changes to his team, although Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Christoph Kramer will be missing through illness.

In Group D’s other game, minnows Gibralter, who have had two successive 7-0 defeats, play host to Georgia.