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Marco Reus hopes Borussia Dortmund teammate Mario Gotze will be selected by Germany for the World Cup this summer after Lars Stindl and Serge Gnabry sustained significant injuries. Gnabry's time at Hoffenheim came to an abrupt end on Friday when he tore a groin muscle as he set up the first of Andrej Kramaric's three goals in the 3-1 win against Hannover, and Stindl injured his left ankle in Borussia Monchengladbach's 1-1 draw with Schalke on Saturday, telling Gladbach's website that his "World Cup dream is now over." Gotze, meanwhile, looked likely to miss the World Cup when he was benched at Dortmund following the 6-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in late March, but he returned to the starting XI for the last two games and put himself back into contention for a call-up. "We can all profit from Mario Gotze," Reus told reporters after the game. "He needs trust and, most of all, many, many games. You just have to let him do his own thing. You could see today and last week what an excellent footballer he is." When asked whether he believes the Dortmund duo will be called up by head coach Joachim Low, Reus said: "I surely hope so." On Sunday, nearly 90 percent of the midfielder's passes reached their destination as he created numerous chances for his team, including setting up Reus' opening goal in the 19th minute. "He is a really good footballer if he's left alone," Dortmund coach Peter Stoger said at a postgame news conference. "There's exuberance when things go well, and a lot of drama when things are negative." Germany has a number of other players racing to be fit for the World Cup, including Bayern defender Jerome Boateng, who sustained a thigh injury in the defeat to Real Madrid in the first round of the Champions League last week. Liverpool midfielder Emre Can has also been out of action with a back injury since late March, and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has not played since undergoing foot surgery in September.
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