Löw: 'No Walkovers'

Germany captain and Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has warned against a repeat of the defeat in Warsaw that threatened to derail their Euro 2016 qualification campaign.

The world champions are second in Group D, trailing Robert Lewandowski's Poland by one point, while Scotland is two points further back.

With a trip to Ireland still to come, Germany faces arguably its two toughest tests in qualification with the visit of Poland on Friday in Frankfurt followed by the trip to Glasgow on Monday night.

"We have two important games and we look forward to that. We want to attack, we need points and results and we need to focus on that," Schweinsteiger told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday.

"We have to show our qualities. Poland will be difficult as will the away game in Glasgow. These are challenging games but we want revenge for the defeat in Poland."

Just months after winning the World Cup in Brazil, Poland handed the German side their first away defeat in qualification since 1998 with a 2-0 win in Warsaw.

"They were aggressive and you could see they wanted to win the match. We controlled the game at times but not over 90 minutes. This is something we need to work on.

"We have to control it, work hard in defence but also carve out our chances with the qualities we have. We cannot allow anything to happen at the back and we must be more determined up front.

"It is important we step on the gas until the final minute."

Löw wants improvement on last year

Since last summer's World Cup, Germany's performances have been hit-and-miss. The defeat to Poland and the thrashing by Argentina in a home friendly brought expectations back down to earth.

But a narrow win over Scotland in Dortmund and a draw with Ireland have shown that there is room for improvement in Joachim Löw's side. The national team coach is well-aware of Poland's threat with Lewandowski heading up the attack alongside talented Ajax forward Arkadiusz Milik.

"It's pretty clear that there will be no walkovers," Löw told the DFB's official website. "Poland and Scotland are both hoping to qualify for next summer's EURO in France, justifiably so.

"After a below-par year we are in a little bit of a tricky spot. We are determined to win both games, but we need to invest a lot against both teams. We are confident though and we have the quality to beat both sides."

Germany could be without Arsenal's Mesut Özil for Friday's match in Frankfurt with the attacking midfielder struggling due to a knee injury.

Assistant coach Thomas Schneider said he's confident that Özil will play, but a more informed decision can be expected after he trains for the first time on Wednesday.

"Mesut needs to get here first," Löw said. "Then he will be examined by our doctors, we need to get a clearer picture first. Then we we will see what we can do. There's still plenty of time before Friday."