Bierhoff to stay as captain

Oliver Bierhoff is in line to captain Germany in their final World Cup qualifier against Finland on Saturday, despite reports that the Monaco striker wanted to be relieved of the post.

"Bierhoff will lead the team onto the pitch on Saturday, unless he's injured," deputy coach Michael Skibbe said on Thursday. He said this was Voeller's position on the matter.

The 33-year-old Monaco striker is expected to start in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday, despite not starting a match for Germany in nearly six months.

The Germans need a win and help from Greece in their match against England in European group nine to qualify automatically for the 2002 finals.

Bierhoff told Bild that Voeller should drop him as captain before the Finland game and make Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn captain.

Asked if he was quitting, Bierhoff said: "As far as I'm concerned Oliver Kahn can keep wearing the captain's band as he did in the games in which I wasn't on the field. I don't have any problem at all with that."

But Skibbe said there would be no discussion until after the qualifying matches were over.

"After the World Cup qualification, we will discuss this matter, as we said long ago. The coach's comments, and Bierhoff's comments, on this matter have always been quite clear. This is not an issue within the team," Skibbe said.

"Bierhoff is a recognised player and captain, Oliver Kahn is his deputy. There is no row over who does what," Skibbe said.

"There are captains all over the world who play poor games but still are accepted by the team. And this is the case with Bierhoff," Skibbe said.

Bierhoff, who scored Germany's golden goal in the final when they won the European Championship in 1996, said he planned to retire from international football after the 2002 finals.

And if the team fails to qualify, the former AC Milan player said his time with the Germany team would be over.

The striker added that he believed Germany were currently underrated because of their 5-1 loss against England last month.

"I believe we are still on the same level as Spain and England -- despite the 5-1 loss," he said. "France, Italy, Brazil and Argentina are better. We haven't got back the strength we had in the '90s."

INJURY HIT

Bierhoff is likely to be in the line-up only because Bayern Munich striker Carsten Jancker was forced to pull out of the squad with an injured foot.

Voeller, who has seven players nursing injuries, may be forced to recall 35-year-old Bayer Leverkusen striker Ulf Kirsten, who quit international football after a poor Euro 2000.

Kaiserslautern's Miroslav Klose has been unable to practice because of injury and Voeller is expected to decide on Thursday whether he can play.

There are also doubts over Freiburg defender Sebastian Kehl's fitness following a thigh injury.

In order to have a realistic chance of winning the group Germany must beat Finland and hope Greece win or draw against England.

Otherwise -- unless they outscore a winning England side by six goals -- the Germans face a playoff against Ukraine or Belarus.