A Bayern star is getting his big chance against Greece. After spending 90 minutes on the bench against Serbia, he’s now in the starting lineup for the first time under Jürgen Klopp.
Jürgen Klopp is making a key change for the Nations League match against Greece—and is counting on Lennart Karl. The 18-year-old is set to start for the first time under the new national team coach on Sunday evening in Thessaloniki, according to BILD.
Karl had spent the entire match on the bench during the 2-0 win over Serbia. Now the Bayern gem is getting his chance in the starting lineup.
For Karl, this marks the next important step following a difficult period. Shortly before the current international break, the attacking player had been moved from the first to the second DFB squad.
Karl is now ready for his first start under Klopp
Klopp recently explained the reasoning behind this: “Lennart Karl was scheduled to play in the first week. Then the medical staff at Bayern Munich called me and said they’d prefer to keep him in individual training a little longer.”
After his long injury layoff, it was apparently decided not to take any risks with Karl. Klopp therefore opted not to play him against Serbia. Now the Bayern pro seems physically ready for the next step.
Alongside Karl, other Bayern players are once again in the spotlight. According to Klopp, Jonas Urbig will be back in goal, and Aleksandar Pavlovic is set to start again in central midfield.
Meanwhile, there’s another change in the defense: David Raum will move to the left side for the first time under Klopp. Philipp Treu, Malick Thiaw, and Waldemar Anton are expected to retain their starting spots from the match against Serbia.
For Karl, this means he’ll get his big break in none other than the difficult away match against Greece. After coming off the bench against Serbia, the 18-year-old will now have the chance to show from the start why Klopp had spoken so highly of him recently.