Worldcup 1998 : Program, Friendly - Germany / Nigeria , April 22, 1998.

GERMANY / NIGERIA, April 22, 1998.

Full-strength Nigeria likely to test injury-hit Germans
friendly games schedule

LONDON April 22, 1998 (AP).

After losing at home to World Cup holder Brazil, European champion Germany isn't in great shape to take on Olympic titlist Nigeria.

While the Super Eagles are at full strength for Wednesday's game in Cologne, German coach Berti Vogts has at least six of his World Cup-bound stars on the sidelines through injury or suspension.

With only seven weeks to go before the World Cup kicks off in Paris, Vogts is without Matthias Sammer, Thomas Helmer, Joerg Heinrich, Christian Ziege, Mehmet Scholl, Lars Ricken and Mario Basler against the Nigerians.

All are ruled out through injury while key central defender Juergen Kohler is suspended after being sent off in last month's 2-1 loss to Brazil in Stuttgart. Out of form Juergen Klinsmann will only start if Bundesliga top-scorer Ulf Kirsten fails to recover from calf and back problems.

At least striker Oliver Bierhoff has something to celebrate on the eve of the game -- a lucrative transfer from modest Udinese to mighty AC Milan.

Wednesday's game at the Muengersdorfer stadium will be Vogts' last chance to test some players before he announces his World Cup roster next month.

It is one of 13 games being staged involving 21 World Cup-bound teams. Among the other eye-catching matches in which World Cup teams play each other are Italy vs. Paraguay in Parma, Yugoslavia vs. South Korea in Belgrade and Chile vs. Colombia in Santiago.

The United States team goes to Vienna to meet Austria, Denmark and Norway meet in Copenhagen, Bulgaria hosts Morocco in Sofia and Belgium welcomes Romania to Brussels.

Host France goes to Sweden, which placed third at the last World Cup in 1994 but failed to qualify this time; Argentina, one of the favorites, visits non-qualifier Ireland, and England welcomes Portugal to Wembley.

Scotland hosts Finland, while Croatia, making its World Cup debut, hosts non-qualifier Poland.

Nigeria's coach Bora Milutinovic, who is in charge of his fourth different World Cup team after spells with Mexico, Costa Rica and the United States, was upbeat about his team's chances of beating Germany.

"It's really our first big test. We have all the stars here and we have no injuries," said Milutinovic, whose squad are from clubs all over the world.

"We are very happy to be playing one of the biggest teams in the world. We have to see where we are, what we have to do still to prepare for the World Cup."

His squad includes such stars as Chelsea's Celestine Babayaro, Inter Milan's Taribo West and Nwankwo Kanu, Daniel Amokachi of Turkey's Besiktas, Sunday Oliseh and Tijani Babangida of Ajax Amsterdam and Monaco's Victor Ikpeba.

Something special usually happens when these hugely talented players meet up.

Their reunion at a Cologne hotel was happy and boisterous Tuesday and Milutinovic hopes that will be matched by their performances on the field.