With a rebuilt squad and a few question marks, the German national soccer team starts the 2024 home European Championship year on Saturday (9 p.m./live Puls4 and in the ticker >>>) with a test match in France.
The cracker in Lyon is intended to make amends for the defeats in November against Turkey (2:3) and Austria (0:2). Even before the game, coach Julian Nagelsmann had to record absences.
Germany with failures
Nagelsmann nominated no fewer than six newcomers last week for the two international matches against France and the Netherlands (Tuesday/8.45 p.m.).
Two of them, Aleksandar Pavlovic (tonsillitis) and Jan-Niklas Beste (adductor injury), have already left. Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who will reportedly go into the European Championship as number one, is also out injured (more on this >>>).
Marc-André ter Stegen from FC Barcelona will be in goal. In addition to the returnee Toni Kroos, debutant Maximilian Mittelstädt will probably also start, while established names such as Niclas Füllkrug and Thomas Müller will have to make do with a place on the bench.
“I always think that when you take part in something, even in a man-don’t-get-annoyed event, you should also want to win. And if you take part in a tournament, it would be advisable to also want to win,” Nagelsmann delivered a declaration of war , which is also valid for the European Championships.
“Not here to try things out”
France around superstar Kylian Mbappe is in good form. In 2023 there were eight wins and only one defeat in ten games. But in September against Germany.
At the “Equipe Tricolore”, Antoine Griezmann missed an international match for the first time since November 2016 and 84 games in a row. Apart from this failure, France will experiment little and prepare for the European Championships, as national coach Didier Deschamps confirms: “I’m not here to try things out.”
With a new coach, without Kane
There is also a real test match on the agenda in London with the game between England and Brazil (tomorrow from 8 p.m. on the ticker >>>).
While the “Three Lions” have been unbeaten since the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals, the “Selecao” have lost their most recent two games. After parting ways with Fernando Diniz, Dorival Junior will make his debut in the Brazilian dugout.
Star striker Harry Kane will probably be out for the English team as he is suffering from an ankle injury.
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2024-03-22 10:32:41
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