BONN. Dec 1 1 Germany s squad for this weekend's difficult World Cup qualifier In , Portugal was hit by another withdrawal on Tuesday when key Bayern Munich midfielder Thomas Strunz pulled out with in fluenza. reports Reuter

Euro 96 player Strunz missed Bayern s final league Same before the winter break al le weekend and told coach Berti Vogts he would not lie able to travel with the party to Lisbon for Saturday s European Group Nine clash.

The late withdrawal la a blow to the European champ) ons. who will afso be missing midfielders Mehmet Scholl and Thomas Haessler, defender Thomas Helmer, reserve goal keeper Oliver Kahn and striker Oliver Bierhoff, hero of the Euro '96 final

The party, which la due to fly to Portugal on Thursday, has been reduced to 19

The Portuguese have a spe cial place in the history of German football They are the only team ever to have beaten the Germans In a World Cup qualifier, winning 10 In Stuttgart in October 1985

The Germans have not lost

to the Portuguese since and beat them 2-1 in a friendly in Porto In February

But Vogts said We were In good si tape then When I see tiow Porto have marched through the Champions league. I m not so sure that we can travel to

Lisbon with so much optimism this time

Libero Manillas Sammer and wing-back Christian Zrege who missed the European champions frustrating 1 1 draw at home to Northern Ireland last month were fit to join the squad on Tuesday

Bayern Munich s in form midfielder Marlo Basler who was part of the Euro 96 squad but did not make an Impact tie cause of Injury can now expect to be given an Important role In midfield

Bayer Leverkusen striker I Ilf Kirsten a superb form in the first half of the season has been rewarded with a place In the squad but VFB Stuttgart's Frrdl Bobir is expected to join < aptaln Juergen Klinsmann up front

SQLAD

Oaalkccpars: Andreas Koepke (Marseille) Oliver Rec k (Werder Bremen)

Dsfaadars: Markus Babbel (Bayern Munich! Juergen Kohler

Stefan Reuter Matthias Sammer (all Borussia Dortmund) (hnstain Woerns (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders Mario Basler (Bayern) Marco Bode Dieter Elits (both Werder Bremen) Joerg Heinrich. Andy Moeller (both Dortmund) Michael Tarnat (Karlsruhe) Dariusz Wow (Bochum) hnstain Zlege (Bayern)

forwards: Fredl Bobic (Stuttgart! Heiko Herrtich

(Dortmund) Ulf Kirsten (Liverkusen). Juergen Klinsmann (Bayern)