Gomez pulls out of Germany squad

Gomez pulls out of Germany squad

Published Aug. 28, 2011 11:30 a.m. ET

Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez has pulled out of Germany's 2012 European Championship qualifier against Austria and a friendly match against Poland due to groin problems.

The German football federation (DFB) said Sunday that Stuttgart striker Cacau has been called up to replace Gomez.

Gomez aggravated a muscle injury in his side's 3-0 win over Kaiserslautern on Saturday, when he scored two penalties in a hat trick.

Germany can qualify for next year's tournament in Poland and Ukraine with a win against Austria in Gelsenkirchen on Sept. 2. The friendly match takes place in Gdansk, Poland four days later.

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Gomez has scored 19 goals in 47 appearances for Germany, while the 30-year-old Cacau has four goals from 17 matches.

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