The German national team will test against Finland in Mainz on Sunday evening, with a number of FC Bayern players also taking part as they look to showcase themselves ahead of this summer’s tournament in North America
Manuel Neuer is not yet available, but is still undergoing training and is making a good impression, as national coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed once again at the German team’s press conference ahead of the Finland game
„Manu is making progress, but we’ve already said that we don’t know the final timetable yet,“ said the coach. So it remains to be seen whether it will be enough for the game against the USA
Karl starts against Finland
But something else is clear: youngster Lennart Karl is guaranteed to start against Finland
„Lennart Karl will start tomorrow. He has made a very good impression in the various training sessions. But we have various options and profiles, including Jamie Leweling and Leroy Sané. Lenny will get his chance tomorrow to show what he can do,“ explained the national coach
Karl was the shooting star of the season at FC Bayern. The youngster impressed with his dribbling, his close ball control and some very eye-catching goals. Now he can show from the start that he has rightly jumped on the World Cup bandwagon
Aleksandar Pavlovic will also start and Nagelsmann trusts him alongside Felix Nmecha in the center of midfield. Leon Goretzka will have to come off the bench as a wild card. Joshua Kimmich and Jonathan Tah are likely to start, while Jamal Musiala is also likely to start
As Manuel Neuer is still resting, training goalkeeper Jonas Urbig will be in the squad and will be the number three in goal.