Germany plans changes for third-place game

BERLIN -- Germany captain Michael Ballack is out, and backup goalkeeper Oliver Kahn is in.

While third place is all that's at stake now, Germany still hopes to give its fans one final World Cup celebration Saturday in its match against Portugal. They'll have to do it without their versatile leader Ballack, who has an inflamed left knee and will miss the game in Stuttgart.

Kahn, meanwhile, gets his first World Cup minutes since the 2002 final, when he was between the posts during Germany's 2-0 loss to Brazil.

"We owe him that gesture, and no one in the world is going to begrudge him that," Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann said Friday.

He will replace Jens Lehmann, who justified Klinsmann's controversial choice to start him with sparkling play throughout the tournament. The coach said Lehmann was consulted and had "zero problem" with the move.

The tournament has been hard for the 37-year-old Kahn, a national hero who was relegated to the bench in favor of Lehmann. Kahn was voted FIFA's outstanding player at the 2002 World Cup, but the tournament ended on a sour note when his blunder led to a Brazil goal.

Lehmann, 36, was Kahn's understudy at the World Cup in 1998 and 2002, and the European Championship in 2000 and 2004, but never saw action.

Defenders Per Mertesacker and Arne Friedrich also will miss the match because of injuries. Mertesacker had surgery on his left heel and Friedrich twisted his knee. Midfielder Tim Borowski left Friday's practice after 20 minutes with a foot injury and is doubtful.

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is also ringing the changes, partly to help motivate his team. He said defender Miguel was out with a knee injury. Center-back Ricardo Carvalho is suspended.

"It's very difficult to motivate the players," Scolari said Friday. "You're thinking more about what you lost than what you might gain."