German boss Joachim Low was unsure about Dutch friendly in wake of Paris attacks

Germany coach Joachim Low admits he was in two minds about tonight’s friendly against the Netherlands going ahead following Friday’s terror attacks on Paris.

It had been suggested the match in Hanover would be called off after Germany were caught up in the attacks, with explosions heard outside the Stade de France during their friendly against France on Friday night as suicide bombers detonated devices. The co-ordinated attacks across the capital have so far claimed 129 lives.

The German team remained inside the venue until Saturday morning for security reasons and the game against Holland had been in doubt, but on Sunday the national federation (DFB) announced it would go ahead.

“It was a horrible, terrible night,” Low told reporters at a press conference. “Once we had landed back in Frankfurt, I had the feeling that the (Holland) game could not take place.

“But having slept on it for a night, it became clear that the game had to go ahead.

“It’s going to be a clear message for freedom and democracy. It is about respect and support for our French friends.

“If we manage to turn this game into a signal, then we will already have won, regardless of the result.

“We are all of the opinion that it’s good that we stand by our values and that this game takes place.”

Low had been hoping to use Friday’s game in France and Tuesday’s fixture at the Niedersachsenstadion to experiment with his team in their final get-together of 2015, but he admits from a practical perspective it is now unlikely he will learn much from the clash with the Dutch.

“It’s hard to strike a balance,” Low said.

“You can’t just go back to normal day-to-day life. We want to play a decent game, but the sporting value of this game drops into the background.

“This game is not going to be a benchmark for me, as it was initially planned to be a test for the European Championship.”

When asked by a Dutch reporter to talk about the Dutch side’s failure to qualify for next summer’s tournament, Low said: “It’s difficult to talk about our opponents in the current situation — we would prefer to focus on other things.

“I’m not going to be able to analyse Friday’s game seriously either. The whole situation was overwhelmed by fear and insecurity.”

Bastian Schweinsteiger will not take part this evening with Low leaving him and the other England-based players out, due to the fact they will not have a winter break, while Manuel Neuer will also sit the game out as had originally been planned.

Dutch coach Danny Blind says he is happy to take his side to Hanover, although he would have understood if Germany’s players had not felt up to it.

“I think it’s a good decision not to yield to terror, but obviously we would have respected whatever decision the Germans had taken.

“I cannot even begin to imagine what was going through the German players’ minds on Friday night when they hear an explosion like that during the game.

“It’s bound to have an effect on them.”