The German national team will play in Serbia on Friday. Several Bayern pros are in line for a spot in the starting lineup. Will Lennart Karl start the game?
The German national team has its next important Nations League match on Friday evening. The team, led by head coach Jürgen Klopp, will face Serbia in Belgrade. Kickoff is at 8:45 p.m.
From FC Bayern’s perspective, attention is particularly focused on Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic, and Jonathan Tah. All three are expected to be in the starting lineup. Lennart Karl and Nathaniel Brown are also in the running for starting spots. Jonas Urbig and Tom Bischof, on the other hand, are likely to start on the bench.
Marc-André ter Stegen remains the first choice in goal. Klopp has settled on the experienced goalkeeper for the upcoming matches. Urbig will therefore have to remain patient with the DFB team for the time being, even though he will be taking over responsibility at FC Bayern for several weeks following Manuel Neuer’s injury.
In central defense, Tah is expected to start alongside Nico Schlotterbeck. For the Bayern defender, this would be a vote of confidence: In Munich, Tah is currently competing with Minjae Kim for the spot next to Dayot Upamecano. Nevertheless, he plays an important role in Klopp’s potential defensive pairing.
Philipp Treu is expected to start on the right. On the left side of the defense, Maximilian Mittelstädt is considered the obvious choice. Brown remains an alternative there. Unlike his recent stints with Bayern, he could once again be called upon to play his natural position while wearing the national team jersey.
Kimmich and Pavlovic are likely to form the midfield.
In the center, there’s a strong case for a Munich duo. Kimmich is returning from his break and is expected to immediately take on responsibility again as captain. Pavlovic is expected to play alongside him.
For Bischof, this would initially mean a spot on the bench. The midfielder has impressed in his previous DFB appearances but faces intense competition for a starting spot.
Up front, Florian Wirtz is expected to take on the central attacking role. For Karl, the right side would therefore be the most likely option. However, Brajan Gruda is also a contender for that position.
Derry Scherhant could start on the left. Kai Havertz is expected to play center forward, while Niclas Füllkrug is on standby as an alternative.
Jamal Musiala remains out of the squad. The Bayern Munich attacker is working on his return to action following a muscle injury. It was still too early to include him in the roster for the matches against Serbia and the Netherlands on Monday.
Expected lineup for Germany:
Ter Stegen – Treu, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Mittelstädt – Kimmich, Pavlovic – Karl, Wirtz, Scherhant – Havertz