Germany captain Michael Ballack says he and his team-mates are counting down the minutes until they can play Turkey in Wednesday's semi-final. The Mannschaft beat Portugal in the last eight in Basel on 19 June to secure a return to St. Jakob-Park, although the six days between the fixtures
have been a source of frustration for Ballack. "Of course, the mood in the camp since the victory over Portugal has been even better. We were able to recover for a couple days but are now getting impatient because the break is a little too long," said the 31-year-old. "We want to get back to action – we're ready for the game against Turkey."
Despite the raft of personnel unavailable for Turkey, Ballack is not underestimating the challenge posed by Fatih Terim's side. "I am very calm and happy that we are in the semi-final. Everyone is eyeing the chance to reach the final, though the task against Turkey will be extremely difficult," explained the Chelsea FC midfielder. "Turkey can adjust incredibly well to every kind of opponent, and they have, in Fatih Terim, a coach who can motivate his players extremely well. And anyway, how could we underestimate a team that beat Croatia? We lost against that team and did not look good doing so."
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