At the end of the European Championship qualification, the German U21 national team can look forward to their biggest crowd at a home game in 20 years. As of Monday morning, 17,166 tickets had been sold for the game against Georgia in Bielefeld (Tuesday, 6 p.m./ProSiebenMAXX), as a spokesman for the German Football Association announced. This is motivation and not additional pressure for his team, said coach Antonio Di Salvo: “We all know that it is a special game.”
With a win, the German selection would take first place in the qualifying group and thus secure a direct ticket to the finals. “That is our goal,” explained Di Salvo. The pursuer Greece is competing in Northern Ireland at the same time. The European Championship finals will take place next summer in Albania and Serbia.
East Westphalia Di Salvo warns about Georgia
When the German U21s played against England in Leverkusen in October 2006, there were 20,800 spectators. The previous home record crowd was the game against Spain in Augsburg in 1982, when 28,000 people watched.
The game in Bielefeld is also special for Di Salvo, who was born in East Westphalia. He announced that his parents, his brother and some friends would come to the stadium to support the team. Opponents Georgia, currently fourth in Group F, have so far “sold themselves short,” warned the coach. The 47-year-old said the Georgians also made things difficult for his team with their 2-0 away win in the first leg.