Germany vs. Greece preview: Team news and predicted lineups
| Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images |
Germany came painfully close to starting the Jürgen Klopp era with a win in Amsterdam on Thursday night, but ultimately had to settle for a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands after Cody Gakpo scored a late equaliser for the hosts.
Ultimately, though, it was hard for Germany to be completely unsatisfied with a share of the spoils following a game in which the Netherlands racked up 3.18 expected goals to the visitors’ 1.45, while Marc-André ter Stegen had to make a total of nine saves, several of which were world class.
Now, attention turns to Sunday’s game against Greece at the WWK-Arena in Augsburg, which will be Klopp’s first match at home since taking over as Germany coach.
The clear goal will be to claim all three points, but boasting players such as Borussia Dortmund’s Konstantinos Karetsas and Arsenal’s Christos Tzolis, the Greek team proved they should not be underestimated with a 2-1 away win over Serbia on Thursday.
The two teams have only met once in recent years, with that game in 2024 ending in a 2-1 win for Germany thanks to a late winner from Pascal Groß.
Team news and predicted lineups:
Klopp called up two squads for Germany’s four UEFA Nations League fixtures during the international break, and the first of these will once again be called upon here.
However, Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz have both been forced to withdraw after suffering injuries in Amsterdam on Thursday, with the German Football Association announcing that Florian Wirtz and Jonathan Burkardt will join up with the team ahead of schedule to replace them.
Both players are now in contention to start in the absence of Musiala and Havertz. Wirtz will compete with Nadiem Amiri and Serge Gnabry for the central attacking midfield role, while Jonathan Burkardt and Eintracht Frankfurt teammate Younes Ebnoutalib, who made his debut on Thursday, are in contention to replace Havertz up front.
Greece, meanwhile, look likely to stick with the starting XI that beat Serbia.
According to reports, Charalampos Kostoulas needed stitches in his leg after being substituted in the 63rd minute against Serbia, but he could still feature against Germany, with the injury not considered serious.
