Joachim Low unsure over Lars Bender fitness

Germany coach Joachim Low has admitted that he could be without Lars Bender for Friday's World Cup qualifier against Austria.

Low said that Sami Khedira and Sven Bender are now fine to return to training, but that Lars was still recovering from a knock in Bayer Leverkusen's 2-0 defeat at Schalke 04.

"He got a slap on the hip at the weekend, so he is a question mark for the game," Bundesliga.de quotes Low as saying. "I do not know whether he will be fit to play.

Bender has played for Bayer since 2009.