5 things to know about Germany at the Confederations Cup

Reigning World Cup champs Germany come into the Confederations Cup with pretty much everything going their way. They're sitting pretty on top of their group in World Cup qualification, they've got one of the deepest talent pools in the world, and this tournament is just another chance for manager Joachim Loew to explore the players he has at his disposal.

What are the five things you should know about Germany?

After six matches, Germany are undefeated and five points clear at the top of their group. They've scored 27 goals and conceded just one, and don't look like slowing down anytime soon. Barring a collapse of epic proportions, we'll be seeing the Germans in Russia to defend their world title. 

23-year-old Julian Draxler will captain Germany in the Confederations Cup. The PSG attacker is the most experienced player in Jogi Loew's squad, with 30 caps to his name, and there isn't a single player over the age of 30 in the team. Only six of the players called up were with the team for last year's European Championship in France, and only three are holdovers from the 2014 World Cup.

Despite their relative lack of international experience, Germany are still stacked across the board. They've got a number of Europe's best and brightest in their ranks, and players like Joshua Kimmich, Julian Brandt, Timo Werner and Niklas Sule are all names that we'll be hearing more and more in the coming years. Germany have talent in every single position, and the depth Loew has available to him is astounding.

Having brought a ton of kids to Russia this summer, Joachim Loew has very clearly prioritized using the tournament to gauge the depth in his team. For Loew, it's a chance to give his youngsters vital experience ahead of next year's World Cup, and he's left a number of his biggest stars at home for that express reason.

"I understand the people who think that, without many world champions and big names, there is no traction to develop this summer. But I say that there is enough fans that are very interested to learn the next generation of the national team," Loew told Bild.

"We are lining up with a perspective squad with young players who have desire and are easygoing. I believe they will enrich the Confederations Cup."

The oldest man in Germany's Confederations Cup squad is also one of its least experienced at the highest level. He also could be one of their most important going forward. 29-year-old Sandro Wagner is a bit of a late bloomer, but after scoring 27 goals over the last two seasons for Darmstadt and Hoffenheim, he's earned a spot in Loew's lineup, and netted three goals in his first two caps. Germany are stacked all over the pitch, but they've struggled to produce top quality forwards in recent years, and Mario Gomez was the only out-and-out striker in the team for the 2014 World Cup. 

Loew clearly sees Wagner as a potential answer to the problem that's plagued the Germans for years now.

"Sandro Wagner is one of our best strikers in the Bundesliga," Loew told Bild. "He has a very special way of playing that will hopefully do us very good.The standard is always absolute world class, like Messi and Ronaldo. Our players need to measure themselves with [those types of players]."