Kiessling set for Germany call-up

GELSENKIRCHEN - Bayer Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling will be named later this week in Germany’s squad for two friendly internationals after impressing coach Joachim Loew in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Schalke 04.

Kiessling, the Bundesliga’s leading scorer, has been omitted from recent squads following the second of his two caps in February but scored again Saturday for his seventh goal in 11 league games.

Loew, who saw Kiessling head Leverkusen’s second goal to put the visitors two goals up shortly before half-time, said the striker would be in the squad he names on Friday for the matches against Chile and Ivory Coast.

“He looked really good. He put in a lot of running and covered a lot of ground,” Loew said.

Kiessling, 25, has yet to start a game for Germany, earning his two caps as a substitute - in 1-0 defeats to Denmark in March 2007 and to Norway in February this year.

Germany are playing Chile in Cologne on November 14 and Ivory Coast in Gelsenkirchen four days later.

A further friendly follows in Munich against Argentina in March before Loew names his squad for the World Cup finals in South Africa from June 11 to July 11.