STORY: The preparations for the upcoming international match of the German national soccer team are going well so far. A friendly against Peru on Saturday is on the agenda. It is the first international match of the year and the first game under the direction of the new DFB sporting director, Rudi Völler. There are also numerous new players who should get their chance in the run-up to the European Championship at home in 2024: Hansi Flick, national team coach: “It was always like that, of course I also understand that you doubt one or the other. Why is he a national player now? Without a doubt. But quite frankly and honestly, it’s like that, we used March to create and get new insights. We invited players who weren’t on the list. We invited players, We have players with us who we really… we analyzed them, said what can he do, what are his strengths that he can bring to our idea of how we want to play football “And what we have now seen here on the square, yes, one or the other shows exactly what we imagined. And if they were all so far, then they would have been longer b ei us. That’s why it’s also important that players are encouraged and challenged and that they are given a chance to show themselves here.” The DFB captain also sees a good development in the team, after a low point due to the end of the season the preliminary round at the World Cup last winter in Qatar: Joshua Kimmich, captain of the DFB-Elf: “We really had a good week of training, a very good level of training, and the newcomers also made a huge contribution to that. I have to say that. They put their foot down, just as you would imagine.” Germany is going into the game against Peru as favorites, the national team has won the previous two games against the South Americans. The whistle is on Saturday evening at 8:45 p.m. in Mainz A friendly against Belgium in Cologne follows on Tuesday.