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Draxler handed surprise Germany call-up

The uncapped 19-year-old made his Bundesliga debut just over a year ago and has been in sparkling form this season, helping Schalke clinch a third-place finish.

Coach Joachim Low said the final squad would be announced later this month, adding there would be some changes.

Germany's players begin their preparations on Friday without several key men.

The players from Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich will be absent, because of Saturday's German Cup final, together with Real Madrid pair Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira.

Bayern's players will not join up with the Euro 2012 squad until after the Champions League final against Chelsea to be held on May 19.

"He will be challenged by us in training," Low told reporters. "We start preparations on Friday with only some of our players but we just have to try our best to get the most out of it."