DUBAI // Soaring temperatures in the UAE have put tomorrow night's friendly with Germany in the shade, with the heat being the biggest topic of discussion among the visiting players and media. Bastian Schweinsteiger, who will lead the Germans out at Al Nasr, said: "My first thought was, 'do I really want to play football for 90 minutes in this heat'." Team manager Oliver Bierhoff added: "The minute you step out of your air conditioned dwellings, the heat hits you like a proverbial sledgehammer. I have been told it is hot even by UAE standards." However, with the match scheduled to kick-off at 10pm the Germans will be safe from the harsh sun, though humidity will be a concern. Bierhoff added: "There are extreme situations like this and there have always been, at the 1994 World Cup in USA for example. The positioning play has to be top call, because then we have to run less." Schweinsteiger agreed with his boss and added: "We definitely want to win this game, come snow, hail or sunshine. The opponents are slightly more used to this kind of weather. We just have to be cleverer than them and maybe let the ball run, not us. "We have to save our strength and show good football. We want this to be a demonstration of good German football." The UAE match is the second stop on Germany's tour of Asia, which their Football Association (DFB) considers an important market. "It is one of our missions to take the national team abroad, to make it known beyond our borders," added Bierhoff.
arizvi@thenational.ae
